About

Olle Helin explores painting through its physical components, and for a long time, a central part of his practice has been making paint from scratch. Instead of buying factory-produced paint, he embarks on "colour walks" through urban environments, collecting materials that catch his interest—ranging from historical dye plants to industrial by-products. These colour walks offer new perspectives on familiar surroundings and lead to the rediscovery of forgotten places in the city. He brings his findings back to his studio, where they undergo experimental and alchemical processes, transforming into paint. This approach expands painting beyond the studio, making it more tangible by connecting the material to specific places and experiences. Since the process is at the core, the results are unpredictable, and although many explorations ultimately take the form of paintings, this is never predetermined.

Olle Helin was born in 1993 in Stockholm. He holds a BFA from Konstfack and a MFA from the Malmö Art Academy. He has had solo and duo exhibitions at Ronneby Konsthall, Galleri Arnstedt in Östra Karup, Studio17 in Stavanger, Norway, Galleri Gerlesborg in Bohuslän, and has participated in group exhibitions at institutions including Rochester Art Center in Minnesota, USA, Molekyl Gallery in Malmö, Olseröds Konsthall, Crum Heaven and CFF in Stockholm. His work is part of the collections of Region Skåne and Region Blekinge. Olle Helin has been based in Malmö since 2019.