The sculpture Skapland at Ulrikedal
In the courtyard at Ulrikedal stands the bronze sculpture Skapland, created by the artist Martin Hjalmar Holmgren. The work was commissioned by the Academic Society (Akademiska Föreningen) and has been part of the area since 1968.
About the artwork
Skapland is a bronze sculpture that forms part of a series of works with the same name, in which the artist sought to explore the interplay between different shapes. The name Skapland refers to the contrast between the positive space (the sculpture itself) and the negative space (the air around it).
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 made his artistic breakthrough in 1950 and worked with both abstract and figurative forms. Themes such as loneliness and anxiety often recurred in his works, with empty spaces and voids becoming an integral part of the expression.
The same year that Skapland was erected at Ulrikedal, Holmgren also created Monument to Street Acrobat with Dog for Knut den Stores Torg. His public works can be found not only in Lund, but also in Landskrona, Stockholm and Norrköping.
Art in pieces
In the early 2000s, the sculpture was struck by a lorry during the corridor renovations at Ulrikedal. Part of the work was damaged but has since been repaired with an iron plate so that it looks as it originally did.