Petter Dahlström Persson

He spent his first years building things that broke easily and fly fishing in different streams. After dropping out of the Theoretical Philosophy class at the Gothenburg University in 2008 he fully invested his time into analog photography, enrolling in the one year class of photography at Gamleby folkhögskola and later Högskolan för fotografi in Gothenburg. While studying hard a lot of time was also spent in flea markets digging out extraordinary objects that he would add to his collection. After dropping out from the photography program Petter moved to Stockholm to start the fine art program at Konstfack. Taking interest in large scale outdoor sculpture and multimedia installations. His final degree exhibition was focusing on a plot of land outside the Social Security Agency office where he installed six handrails in white painted steel. He later tried to make the agency buy the work but it proved problematic. He left Stockholm for Malmö on a French bicycle in August 2015 never to return. Life in Malmö was easy and the continental vibes suited his blood flow and after one year he had found a studio space in an old chocolate factory with the name Alta.

He took part in many exhibitions and received grants, working mainly with pigeons, went to Iran and Ecuador for trips that had with his practice to do until deciding to pursue an MFA in Rotterdam at the Piet Zwart Institute in 2018. Being 30 years old at the time, Petter found himself in a new environment surrounded by a language he could not understand. He worked mainly with sculpture, developing works with keys, handrails and wooden is an in 20 structures with Riso printed wallpaper on. Suddenly a pandemic hit and Rotterdam was turned into a silent desolate place. After working from home for one and a half year, buying flower from the local mill and having Fridays filled with Gin Rummy card games with his two friends Ash and Christian, he had had enough of the Netherlands and moved back to Malmö and his old studio at Alta Art Space where he now produces stone and wood sculptures, taking part in exhibitions and producing work for the municipality in Östersund.