ABOUT THE ARTIST
Annika Victoria Strand
Annika Strand was born in Sydney, in 2001 to Swedish parents. Due to having a disability called Cerebral Palsy, she has uncontrollable movements throughout her body. Annika was always passionate about art. Her biggest inspiration has come from her connection with painting nature.
Annika first started art in her early teens but because of her movements, the idea of painting realistic images was at first an obstacle. Through determination and pursuing her dream, she found ways to conquer her obstacles and discovered new and unique ways of expressing herself when she paints. Annika uses different parts of her body to create finer details, like her nose and her palm of her hand.
Annika has a Diploma of Graphic Design. She uses a modified keyboard and mouse to help create her designs. This has provided her with a new avenue to express her creativity and expand her skills.
Annika was selected as the Artist in Residence at Runaway Bay Library in 2020. She was also involved in many exhibitions some including the 2021 Mind Me Art Exhibition and the Show And Tell Exhibition at Art From The Margins. Annika is also Regally involved with HOTA Gold Coast and Art From The Margins.
From The Artist
As an artist, I challenge myself to create artworks that explore the beauty of nature, diversity, and freedom. Due to my limitations and uncontrollable movements, painting is a way for me to express my thoughts and feelings. I use unique techniques that allow me to paint independently, these techniques include using my nose and fingers to create fine lines and I also use many other parts of my body like my hand and feet for my bigger abstract works.
My inspiration mainly comes from the beauty of life and nature. The colours and textures inspire my vivid paintings, with my choice of medium being acrylic and oil paints on canvas and other materials.
Impressionism and abstractisum is the art movement that motivates my own style as I layer paints to create textures that capture the momentary effect of light and colour. Monet is one of my favorite artists, I feel like I can relate to him though our similar styles and choice of colours.
My mission as an artist is to express my passion and freedom through my paintings. I want to establish meaningful connections with my audience to allow them to feel my spirit and understand my story. For me, painting removes the barriers of my disability and allows me to communicate myself though capturing the beautiful moments of life in my own individual style. Over time, layers of paint have accumulated on my wheelchair and I feel like that is a visual reflection of who I am as a person.
