Kaja Stumpf (b.1987) is a Norwegian artist living and working in London.She gained her MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins, UAL in 2022. Stumpf’s recent work examines memory, self-representation and the mind-body connection. She explores the idea of selective memory and cognitive bias as a means of self-preservation and through painting, visualises the rumination of potential scenarios between past and present. Utilising staged images and the photographic family archive, she crops the scene and alters the colours to create a sense of delayed familiarity.

The paintings serve as a visual investigation of the narrative surrounding selective memory and unconscious bias. They navigate the fear of the unknown, the impact of outdated beliefs, and the self-destructive behaviours that hinder personal growth. 

Fragmented compositions mirror our tendency to fixate on specific elements of our lives while neglecting others. By portraying the body as a vessel of experience and offering a compassionate perspective, the paintings consider different interpretations, question the motives behind self-sabotage and why we may be reluctant to embrace happiness.

Pleasure, in its various forms—be it physical, emotional, intellectual, or creative—is found in the present moment, not anxiously awaiting the future or stuck in the past. Pleasure is found when we are in acceptance of our humanness, including the shadow sides of our psyche.

Pleasure is a far away land while simultaneously it’s everywhere, (hiding) in plain sight.

“The work explores my reinterpreted story of experience.” - Kaja Stumpf, 2024

'Pleasure is a far away land' at Blue Shop Gallery May 2024

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