You can trace the progress of Emeli Theander’s work, probably even from her art school years in Berlin—when, fresh from her native Sweden, she supported herself by selling screen prints at flea markets. But really we’re starting from her late noughties work as street artist Chin Chin.
Those wheat pasted paintings were the first indication of her vaguely threatening and mysterious characters. Her mastery of atmosphere has grown ever more refined since her 2010, six-month residency at PLATOON KUNSTHALLE in Seoul, which time must have been a turning point for Theander. Afterwards, she put Chin Chin on hold to focus on her oil painting and drawings.