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This page contains translations of the exhibition signs at Svenstorp Art Center.
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Clas Bjerkander
The main house at Stora Svenstorp was built in the 18th century. In 1763, Clas Bjerkander received a position in the Holmestad parish. He lived at the Stora Svenstorp vicarage for 24 years. Clas Bjerkander studied at the Cathedral School in Skara and at Uppsala University, where he, among other things, attended lectures by Carl von Linné.
Bjerkander’s great passion was botany. In Svenstorp, he studied both plants and small animals, and he created a beautiful garden with unusual plants. Bjerkander brought the Siberian Corydalis to Svenstorp, and it still blooms abundantly every spring, a delight for bumblebees and other insects that have awakened from their winter slumber. In 1773, Bjerkander published an article in the proceedings of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and in 1778, he became a member of the Academy in Stockholm. In 1787, Clas Bjerkander and his wife moved from Svenstorp to Grevbäck in Hjo, where he was later appointed dean in his home parish.
Six Generations of Farmers
In 1844, Johannes Nilsson and his wife Stina bought the farm from the widow Mrs. Styffe.
From the mid-18th century to the early 19th century, modern agricultural science began to take shape. Sweden was experiencing population growth and crop failures. There was a shortage of nutrients in the soil, and the land had low productivity. Crop cultivation mainly consisted of cereal grains and fallow land, with animals grazing on the fallow fields and meadows. Agricultural science aimed to reduce crop failures and increase farm productivity in order to combat famine and the large wave of emigration. During the second half of the 19th century, 20% of men and 15% of women left Sweden to seek a better life in the USA.
1875 Anton Johansson and his wife Thilda take over the farm.
During the 19th century, there were many farms—75% of the country's population was connected to agriculture through various tasks and roles. Farms were self-sufficient and, by today’s standards, low in productivity. Surpluses were sold at markets. Fields yielded 1 ton per hectare. Meadows produced 2 to 3 tons of hay per hectare, and a cow gave 1,000 liters of milk per year.
1900 Erik Johansson and his wife Hanna take over the farm.
Erik Johansson bred Ardennes horses, and the farm had its own dairy.
During the 20th century, technological development, new materials, and fertilizers were introduced to agriculture. Crop rotation became common, and plant breeding produced seed varieties with improved hardiness, better disease resistance, stronger stems, higher yields, and better quality. Animal breeding also brought improvements. Stronger draft animals and better plows made it possible to cultivate heavier soils.
The industrial society brought technical innovations that benefited agriculture. Tractors with high pulling power were the single biggest change for modern farming. Munktells was the first in Sweden in 1913. Tractors needed room to maneuver, leading to a widespread enlargement of fields. Even fields also became important—high productivity and uniform ripening require consistent water distribution across the entire field.
1940 Nils Johansson and his wife Inga take over the farm.
Nils Johansson had cows, horses, and crop cultivation. He was active in community life and politics.
World War II caused a pause in agricultural development due to shortages of fuel, fertilizer, and animal feed. After the war, a new era began for Swedish agriculture. Farming shifted from smallholder-based to market-oriented and became part of the industrial society. Around 25–30% of the population were farmers.
The Federation of Swedish Farmers was founded. Farmers were offered advisory services through agricultural societies organized in every county. A clear agricultural policy was introduced: agriculture should provide national food self-sufficiency, income parity with comparable groups, healthy food for consumers, and reasonable prices.
The focus was on increasing productivity, improving soil fertility, and encouraging specialization. Productivity rose through more efficient inputs, chemical pesticides, plant breeding, and drainage systems. Fertility was improved through liming and increasing phosphorus levels in the soil.
Market demands and active agricultural policy drove the specialization of large-scale, single-focus farming. For the first time, there was a surplus, and subsidies for grain and butter exports were introduced. A debate emerged over the rapid development of Swedish agriculture, leading to extensive research on crop rotation, soil fertility, and environmental conservation.
1979 Bo Johansson and his wife Britt take over the farm.
By the time Bo takes over, there are no animals left on the farm. It has become a crop farm with 30 hectares of arable land and 30 hectares of forest. To increase profitability, a decision was made to convert the barn into a piglet production facility for 40 sows.
Until 1990, the market was regulated by the state and the Land Acquisition Act. When deregulation was implemented, Bo, like many other farmers, faced a choice: invest and become a competitive market player, or shut down and find another job. He chose to invest, and the farm was rebuilt for 120 sows and breeding production.
During the 1990s, the pig industry and its advisory services developed in ways that were crucial to shaping today’s Swedish pig production. Bo has always had a strong interest in chemistry, especially biogas, as processing manure creates a better product for the fields and also generates electricity and heat through digestion. Reducing manure odor was also important.
He came up with the idea to build a farm-scale biogas plant and shared it with his neighbor, blacksmith Lennart Svensson. Together, they built their first biogas facility in Svenstorp in 2006, and it has been in operation ever since.
2021 Daughter Anna-Karin Hall and her husband Peter take over the farm.
The farm now operates with slaughter pig production and crop cultivation on around 375 hectares, as well as a small forestry operation on about 70 hectares. In 2025, the farm adds a new business branch: culture—in the form of an art gallery and farm café, where Anna-Karin’s brother, photographic artist Erik Johansson, realizes his dream of a permanent exhibition together with his sister and Peter.
Today, only 1.5 to 2.0% of Sweden’s population are farmers. Being a farmer has always been a lifestyle, but today it also means being a business leader with greater strategic demands. Svenstorp Farm is now run jointly by two generations. Taking over a farm is a long process. The generational shift began in 2015 and is still ongoing. Passing on all the knowledge and experience held by the older generation takes time.
At the same time, major societal shifts are putting new and evolving demands on agriculture. Once again, Sweden is in a place where domestic food production must play a larger role than it has in recent decades. That work has only just begun.
Svenstorp Art Center
Architect / Concept Author:
Tina Johansson • www.tinajohansson.com
The Bigger Context
Agriculture has undergone a major transformation over the past 30 years. Fewer farmers and increased demands for profitability have driven the development of barn buildings to sizes that, just a few years ago, would have been unimaginable. But what happens to the abandoned buildings that have lost their purpose? Should they be demolished? Left empty? Or is there another way to give them new life?
Over the years, Erik has created many works, stored at Svenstorp. On the farm, there were two empty buildings that no longer served a purpose. The idea of converting the old barn into a permanent exhibition hall for Erik’s art became the starting point. The two buildings had different conditions but needed to interact.
Instead of altering the buildings’ shapes, the focus was on the interplay between them — and above all, on people’s natural movement patterns.
To achieve this, we had to rethink entrances, and some auxiliary structures were removed. A key component of the design proposal was the entrance ramp, which not only provided comfortable access to the exhibitions, but also tied the buildings together and defined the public space. This was connected through two exterior park areas: the entrance plaza and the garden, with a potential future sculpture park.
THE ARCHITECT’S STORY
Concept 1: The Spiral
The architectural design went through a long evolution. The original idea was to only adapt the building we’re in. When I create exhibitions, I always like to include narrative elements. The walk through the space was composed like a story, with an exposition at the beginning and a resolution at the end.
In the first concept, we wanted to use the space vertically and came up with the idea of a spiral-shaped structure at the far end of the building. It would lead visitors up through three levels, where Erik’s creative process would be shown. The idea was to first experience part of the exhibition, then ascend through the spiral, discover something new in those rooms, and finally return to the main hall and see the exhibition with new eyes.
The spiral-shaped ramp also enabled a unique window placement on the façade. The change in the gable suggested the building had found a new purpose.
When we began developing the details, we realized the plan was unreasonable and unworkable. The wooden spiral structure began causing more problems than it solved, with major challenges in fire safety, accessibility, and construction.
We realized we needed to rethink.
THE ARCHITECT’S STORY
Concept 2: “Head in the Clouds” – Facade
Erik often works with contrasts in his image-making, which inspired us to create a contrast in the experience between the buildings, light and dark. The dark exhibition space gave us the opportunity to shape environments using controlled light.
We faced an architectural challenge: a front facade without windows. It was both a limitation and a chance to express the building’s new purpose. Scandinavian light is unique, long shadows dance across facades and the large barn walls acted as canvases for them.
Erik’s images consist of many layers, which became a source of inspiration. We decided to design a facade in multiple layers highlighted by the shifting light that moves across the gable.
We explored many options until Erik sketched a cloud shape and suddenly everything clicked. The facade became a work of art in itself, a metaphor for realizing one’s dreams. The overlapping cloud shapes became more than just a facade; they became the visual language of the art center. They signal that the two buildings belong together and complement each other.
The bright multi-purpose hall was designed to feel airy and light, with large windows and bright walls. The space was created to be flexible and adaptable for various uses.
The buildings became a reflection of Erik’s visual world—where light meets dark, and dream meets form.