Fanny Senocq Swedish-French, b. 1976

Fanny Senocq is an artist, scenographer, and exhibition designer, born in France in 1976 and based in Stockholm, Sweden. She studied at Basis Konstskola and Gerleborgsskolan, and holds a master's degree from the Cultural Studies program at Stockholm University.

In recent years, Fanny Senocq has used events from her professional life as a starting point for exploring group dynamics. By turning things around, seemingly cemented ideas about power, hierarchy, myth-making, and cult of genius transform into a unique, dynamic visual world that evokes thoughts of Rorschach tests, but also of Arcimboldo's playfull still lifes. Senocq draws inspiration from interpersonal interactions, from the hypnotic and sometimes destructive power of patterns, and from emotions she wants to delve into. 

UpsideDown

UpsideDown is a project that delves deep into me. The work touches on profound thoughts about life and the society we live in. The artworks deal with hope and betrayal, dreams that couldn't be extinguished but received new nourishment, and the delicate balance between strength and fragility. 

I started working on the images for the UpsideDown series simultaneously with my work as a scenographer in performing arts. I painted with gouache on paper, mainly for practical reasons. My studio was in the home kitchen, and with a small child, I wanted to avoid strong odors and mess. It took some time to get used to transitioning from oil paint and larger canvases, which I had previously worked with. However, gouache has become my absolute favorite, even though I've since moved out of the kitchen and into a more purpose-built studio. Over the course of eight years, the image series grew. It became a way for me to process events in life, especially in my professional life, where my own and others' experiences became my source of motivation. I explored how the culture of silence and crises impact people's mental and physical well-being. Working on large creative projects can be either fantastic or dreadful, depending on the group's constellation and leadership. In my images, I filter reality through my subconscious and add external references. The motifs are not directly representational; different shapes and figures are hidden within them. I call it kitchen-sink surrealism. / Fanny Senocq