Birger Carlstedt is recognized as one of Finland's foremost modernists and a pioneer in abstract art. Initially trained in figurative expression, his exposure to abstract art in Paris influenced him to develop a distinctive style that blended cubism with concrete art.
By the 1930s, Carlstedt adopted analytical cubism, using still life as a subject while depicting it from multiple perspectives within a single painting, embracing what he termed a "memory dimension."
Despite figurative traces in his 1940s paintings, Carlstedt viewed his works as non-figurative, likening his creative process to musical composition—focusing not on what was depicted but how it was represented, influenced by modern music and composers like Ernst Pingoud.
The exhibition is curated by Finnish curator, Timo Valjakka, and organized in collaboration with Amos REX in Helsinki.