Guided by an awareness of the interdependence of living systems, Cléo Sjölander’s work examines the invisible yet essential connections that unite the human body, the animal world, plant cycles, and natural forces. Her sculptural and photographic work highlights relationships of care, protection, and transformation as forms of resistance in response to the shared vulnerability of these interconnected entities. Through this, she explores how each organism, no matter how fragile, participates in a network of forces where survival depends on mutation, adaptation, and transformation.

She conceives of matter as carrying a latent energy, an ancient memory that extends beyond individual consciousness. The gestures she employs- kneading, sewing, assembling, burning- take the form of contemporary rituals, inspired by witchcraft, magic, and ancestral knowledge. Creation becomes a liminal space where the visible and the invisible meet, where the object acts as a talisman or a relic of transition. This mystical approach seeks to restore matter as a living force, capable of transformation, resistance, and regeneration.

Sjölander explores what lies hidden in the shadows: cryptic forms and ancient symbols embedded in collective memory. Inspired by medieval religious symbolism, her works aim to awaken a forgotten spirituality, where dimness becomes the site of a silent revelation.

Cléo Sjölander (b. 1993, Montreal, Canada) lives and works in Montreal. Her practice explores the parallels and resonances between the mechanisms of transformation and adaptation in living beings — human, animal, and vegetal — and their environments, through sculptural installation. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Studio Arts) from Concordia University (2020). Her work has been included in solo and group exhibitions at Espace Maurice, Montreal; Subtitled NYC, New York; Galerie Laroche/Joncas, Montreal; Babayaga, New York; Projet Casa, Montreal; Produit rien, Montreal and Kudos, Sydney.