Fresh at the Fair – an exciting new curation at our Stockholm edition

This year, Affordable Art Fair Stockholm introduces Fresh at the Fair – an exciting new section dedicated to bold, affordable, and thought-provoking contemporary art.

Affordable Art Fair

Thursday 28 August, 2025

Fresh at the Fair is an initiative developed together with Roland-Philippe Kretzschmar, founder of The Art Bystander, Scandinavia’s leading platform for contemporary art that blends editorial, podcast, and advisory perspectives. Known for his sharp eye and innovative curatorial approach, Kretzschmar brings a fresh dimension to the fair by presenting eight artists who are exhibiting here for the very first time: Valtýr Daregard, Josefin Tolstoy, Gustav Hjelmgren, Cajsa Wessberg, Mattias Storm, Zahra Holm, Robert Möllard, and Eva Zethraeu

The exhibition ranges from illustrative works to more conceptual pieces, and every detail, from the selection of artworks to the colours of the walls, has been carefully considered, drawing on colour psychology and art theory. Visitors can expect to discover unexpected perspectives and emerging voices that challenge conventions while remaining accessible.

Get to know the names of our curated selection of artists, as well as a taste of their work before your visit!

Valtýr Daregard

Valtýr is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist from Reykjavik, based in Stockholm. His practice interweaves photography, painting, and conceptual videowork, often drawing from the Icelandic landscape of his upbringing.

Through his work, he creates visual poetry that invites reflection on the relationship between the inner world of thought and the outer world of reality.

Valtýr’s work has been exhibited in group shows in New York, Milan, and Paris. In 2024, he made his solo debut at Fotografiska in Stockholm with Point in Time, a meditative journey through landscape, memory, and time.

Valtýr Daregard standing in front of a large bright orange artwork hanging from a tree

Josefin Tolstoy

Josefin Tolstoy sitting on the floor surrounded by her earth-toned paintings

Josefin is a Swedish artist and designer based in Uppsala. Trained in graphic design and art direction in the UK, she later returned to her true passion, painting.

Her works blend abstract and figurative elements, using textured layers and soft color palettes to explore themes of connection, emotional warmth, and feminine strength.

Often painting people, “sisters and humans” as she calls them, Josefin works intuitively, letting ideas evolve through the process. Color and composition are her key tools, bringing harmony and atmosphere to both her art and her work as an art director and interior designer.

Her paintings have been exhibited in Sweden and internationally.

Gustav Hjelmgren

Gustav is a self-taught artist whose practice explores what happens when color meets canvas. His intuitive yet reflective process balances structure and dissolution, creating contemplative works that invite presence and emotional resonance.

With a background in nursing, his art is rooted in empathy and a deep interest in the human condition, often addressing themes of vulnerability, connection, and stillness. Using layers of oil, oil stick, sponge, brush, and hand, Hjelmgren builds tactile compositions that shift in form but maintain a meditative energy. His work has been exhibited internationally and is part of private collections in New York, London, and Seoul, with his latest series currently on view at Eric Firestone Gallery in New York.

Gustav Hjelmgren sitting in front of a brightly coloured painting
Oil on linen painting by Gustav Hjelmgren

Cajsa Wessberg

Cajsa is a Stockholm-based artist and illustrator, educated at Beckmans College of Design and Konstfack. Her playful ceramic works and illustrations are filled with spontaneity, vibrant colors, and a sense of curiosity. Wessberg creates free from expectations, letting each piece emerge as a spontaneous revelation, born from the sheer joy of making and an imagination that knows no boundaries.

A selection of sculptures by Cajsa Wessberg

Mattias Storm

Mattias is a Stockholm-based abstract artist whose minimalist yet emotionally charged works explore the balance between stillness and movement. Inspired by nature’s colors and rhythms, his subdued palettes are often punctuated by bold hues that create striking contrasts.

With sold-out exhibitions such as We Move Lightly, Echoes in Motion, and Terra Incognita, Storm has become a notable voice in contemporary art. His paintings do more than fill a room, they animate it, offering viewers both a sensory and spiritual experience.

Mattias Storm stood in front of a red painting
Two paintings hung side by side on a white wall

Zahra Holm

Zahra is a contemporary artist working between Stockholm and Paris, fascinated by the human form. Her bold use of color, curvaceous lines, and gestural brushstrokes create semi-abstract compositions that explore the beauty, power, and sensuality of the body while reflecting her connection to nature and the soul. Zahra’s work often engages with symbolism and spirituality, emphasizing both movement and inner reflection. Her art has been exhibited internationally in cities such as Paris, London, and Mexico City, featured in publications including Vogue and Vanity Fair.

Zahra Holm stood in her studio surrounded by bright orange and yellow artworks
A selection of artworks by Zahra Holm

Robert Möllard

Robert creates mystical, color-saturated paintings using an intuitive approach that embraces naivety and imperfection. Working in acrylics and oils, he sketches directly onto raw canvas, letting colors blend naturally before building layers. Inspired by his grandfather’s artistic legacy, Möllard’s work bridges personal meditation and contemporary expression. 

Robert Möllard sitting on a gnome stool
A floral scene by Robert Möllard

Eva Zethraeu

Eva is a ceramic artist based in Gothenburg whose work explores nature, transformation, and materiality. Her intricate, hand-thrown sculptures are inspired by organic growth, cellular structures, and imagined life forms, often presented in clusters or modular installations that evoke dynamic natural systems. 

Eva studied at HDK-Valand Academy of Art and Design and has exhibited internationally, including at Design Miami, TEFAF New York, and Ceramic Art Brussels.

Her work is represented in prominent public collections such as Röhsska Museum, Nationalmuseum, and the High Museum in Atlanta. She continues to live and work in Gothenburg, developing experimental ceramic techniques and participating actively in the contemporary ceramics community.

A blue sculpture of a Calliandra

Don’t miss the opportunity to see these artists and their artwork at Fresh at the Fair at Affordable Art Fair Stockholm, 1-5 October at Nacka Strandsmässan!

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