Logbook: Entry 01
Notes from a three-day working session
Stockholm, 27 - 29 January 2026
Over the course of three days, Studio Ilijin held a focused working session combining studio work, planning, and gallery visits in Stockholm. The aim was to consolidate existing material, clarify priorities, and consider presentation strategies for an upcoming exhibition phase.
A central outcome of the session was the definition of a one-year working horizon, established through discussion and planning. This timeframe allows for the production of new work, refinement of exhibition concepts, and exploration of venue possibilities.
Two drawing series were reviewed and discussed in relation to exhibition potential. NYX is a series of twenty colored pencil drawings depicting, Nyx, named after the Greek personification of the night. The drawings are vivid, symbolic, and operate in a mythic and serious register. The Afterlife is a satirical story of a hell worker; the drawings are graphic, intentionally raw, and explore punk-inflected humor. Although distinct in tone and aesthetic, the works share a conceptual interest in dual forces.
Early in the studio work, attention was given to presentation and materiality. For The Afterlife, it was decided to maintain the drawings in a materially direct form, unframed, clipped, and visibly worked. For NYX, the drawings were considered alongside the possibility of a single large oil painting to function as an anchor and establish scale variation.
Gallery visits were conducted on the final day to better understand how different types of spaces frame emerging practices. The focus was observational: assessing scale, circulation, lighting conditions, and the potential for presentation of drawing-based and painting-based works. During the visit, a particularly productive conversation took place at Gallery CFHill with a staff member. Through discussion of the work and its exhibition potential, it became clear that NYX could be effectively elevated into a series of large oil paintings. This insight directly informed the decision to begin production on five large oil canvases, translating the visual language and symbolic content of the existing drawings into a more substantial format.
Following this evaluation, the studio determined that The Afterlife would no longer be a primary focus for the upcoming exhibition phase. While the series remains an important part of the overall practice, its next public presentation will be considered separately, allowing attention and resources to concentrate on realizing the NYX oil series.
The session concluded with a structured set of next steps: continuing production of the NYX oil series, preparing material for an additional open call, and maintaining light but consistent contact with relevant spaces. These notes document the consolidation of the working process and mark the transition from internal development to outward-facing exhibition planning.
