Agnetha Sjögren

"I have a multi-disciplinary, 25-year background as an Artist, in Window Display, Interior Design and Prop-making. This varied career means I mould art and design, with craftsmanship the focus of my creative ideas. I started making dog sculptures because I got tired of people telling me that their dog was nice…I was afraid of dogs and wanted to show what a really nice dog is.

Born in Sweden but based in London, I have developed a very personal body of work that embodies my love and experience of world travel, which also offers a glimpse into memories of my childhood, words and symbols – all brought together with a humorous twist.

Dogs are my chosen three-dimensional canvas on which to explore ideas and emotions. I make art in whatever medium and dimension I feel will get the message across. The communication between work and viewer is intended to be direct, however I like the interaction that a sculpture forces. The observer must move to see the full sculpture. I like to hide messages, which could be in the form of a word, or a symbol that you would miss if you didn’t see the whole piece.

I approach material in a playful way to send contradicting messages, as in my latest work, a series called ‘Now you see me, Now you don’t’ where one of the pieces is a dog inside what appears to be a cardboard box, in solid Bronze. I love the reaction of the viewer when they touch the box and realise it is not cardboard.

My audience knows me as the Swedish Dog Artist, so whether I show a small part of a dog or the whole dog, people know it is my piece. My new work also embodies my desire to make physically bigger pieces, work more collaboratively and to create public art."