#563 Stairway To Heaven (2025) Original Painting by Johan Söderström

64x84 cm | Filler, pine panel, cotton string, dried rose

The stair-like forms in the image are inspired by the church tower in Torshälla, where I grew up, and by the sculpture by Arne Jones located in the square below. I have climbed the twin spiral staircases many times, which converge at the top. The title of this work, Stairway To Heaven, is borrowed from there.

Stacked one upon another, the sculpture could, in principle, rise endlessly skyward, echoing Brancusi’s Endless Column—the perpetual motion and innovation of Modernism mirror socialism’s striving toward a classless society. In the Nordic countries, the dominance of social democracy throughout the 20th century gave rise to a society with universal access to healthcare and education. Yet the promise of human emancipation halted there, its burden shifted onto the individual.

My own family was among the many who traversed the boundaries of class within just a few generations. The sense of safety and trust I grew up with was essential in enabling me to choose a career as an artist. One might view this act of self-realisation as the terminus of the journey. Yet, in truth, the class journey is a liberal project—most clearly embodied in the notion of the “American Dream,” where each person is believed to be the maker of their own fortune.

Today, neoliberal ideology has worn away much of the equality that shaped my upbringing. The freedom to choose a future without regard to its economic consequences is now reserved for the privileged. What became of the vision of a society in which anyone might decide to become an artist? A society where this possibility belongs not only to those with exceptional strength and resources, but to all.

Materials used:

Filler (coarse and fine) in pine panel

Details:

• Painting on Panel / Board / MDF
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 64 x 84 x 5cm (framed)
• Framed and ready to hang
• Signed on the back
• Style: Organic
• Subject: Abstract and non-figurative