The sculpture Skapland at Ulrikedal
In the courtyard at Ulrikedal stands Skapland, a bronze sculpture by artist Martin Hjalmar Holmgren. The piece was commissioned by Akademiska Föreningen and has been part of the area since 1968.
The artist behind the sculpture
Martin Hjalmar Holmgren (1921–1969) was a Swedish sculptor and illustrator. He trained as an art teacher in Stockholm and graduated in 1944. Holmgren had his artistic breakthrough in 1950 and worked with both abstract and figurative forms. His works often explore themes such as loneliness and anxiety, seen for example in the use of space between figures as an expressive element. In addition to Lund, his public artworks can be found in cities such as Landskrona, Stockholm and Norrköping.
About the artwork
Skapland is a bronze sculpture installed at Ulrikedal in 1968, the same year Holmgren also created Monument to a Street Acrobat with Dog for Knut den Stores torg. The sculpture is part of a series of works with the same name, through which Holmgren explored the interaction between different forms. The name Skapland refers to the contrast between the positive space (the sculpture itself) and the negative space (the surrounding air). This concept is clearly visible in the Ulrikedal piece.
Art in trouble
In the early 2000s, the sculpture was struck by a lorry during the major corridor renovations at Ulrikedal. A part of the artwork broke off but has since been repaired with a metal plate to restore its original form.