Nathalie Djurberg

Biography and works

In Djurberg’s short stop-action-animation dramas—described by the artist as “fairy tales gone mad…”—forces of good and evil, dark and light, beauty and horror intertwine. Her characters often exist in moral tension with each other and within themselves. They often shed big blue (clay) tears. Her narratives provide no reassuring fairy-tale conclusions…

Djurberg’s animations bring to life stories and scenarios from the furthest reaches of her subconscious mind. The evil nature of her characters’ actions is somehow made acceptable and even humorous because they have been made from plasticine. In Dumstrut a lone figure stands in the corner of a room wearing a dunce’s hat…

The Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg works with animation films which are inhabited by clay figures in a strange universe. The short films are often no longer than five minutes but they manage however to tell stories about the human condition mixed both with black humour and seriousness…

Using a variety of media including stop motion animation, installation, sculpture and drawing, the artist constructs dark narratives that investigate human behavior through nightmares and fears. Without much restraint, these narratives open a dialogue addressing violence, dominance, gluttony, racism and sex…