Jan Manker, born in 1941 in Stockholm, is a Swedish painter and graphic artist who works in both Nykvarn and Stockholm. At fourteen, he purchased his first oil paints and developed his skills through drawing and painting at home, guided by art literature and museum studies. At twenty, Manker travelled to New York, where he visited Öyvind Fahlström and Barbro Östlihn and interacted with leading contemporary artists, including time spent at Robert Rauschenberg’s studio. His residence in Nykvarn features artworks from renowned artists, reflecting professional and personal associations and exchanges with many well known in the art world.

Jan Manker has played a significant role in various artist initiatives, including Grafikens Hus in Mariefred, the Swedish Public Art Association, and Galleri Kretsen in Södertälje. Since the early 1960s, he has explored painting, different graphic techniques, and photography. His artwork frequently examines human relationships within society and the changes it undergoes. Although his paintings are often visually striking and pleasing, they carry unsettling undertones—a blend of cheerful, pastel-tinted dystopias. In his later pieces, he focuses on humanity’s environmental impact and the looming ecological crisis. The illustrations are vibrant, sometimes digitally produced, yet they maintain a flexible approach to two-dimensional art, making each piece feel like a surprise, a puzzle, or a riddle. His works often weave together multiple stories, forming anarchistic montages with layered meanings.

Jan Manker made his debut at Galleri Observatorium in Stockholm in 1964. Since then, he has presented about 60 solo exhibitions across Sweden and group shows both in Sweden and abroad.

He is the son of Ernst Manker, Sami researcher and photographer and Lill Jansson. Jan Manker studied at Stockholm University 1960–1964 and at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm 1964–1969. He was employed as a teacher at the Konstfack- University for Arts and Crafts in Stockholm 1968–1977. He has participated with his art in approximately 250 group exhibitions in a large number of places in Sweden as well as Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, England, Italy, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hong Kong. Among his public works are Järnhanden-Dockor-Folkan in the Stockholm subway, Södertälje hospital, Åsö gymnasium, Hallundaskolan in Botkyrka, Karolinska hospital and together with Lenny Clarhäll he painted Amazonas at Helenelundsskolan in Södertälje. Jan Manker is represented at Södertälje Municipality, Moderna Museet, Norrköping Art Museum, Gothenburg Art Museum, Gävleborg County Museum, Borås Art Museum, Malmö Museum, Örebro County Museum, Kalmar Art Museum, Helsingborg Museum, Västerås Art Museum, and Centre de la gravure in La Louviere, Belgium.

Text by: Maja-Lena Molin, Artistic Director, Södertälje konsthall

Friday March 20 at 13.00: Inauguration by Eva Pedersen-Wallin, president of The Culture and Leisure Committee. Jan Manker will present his exhibition together with Maja-Lena Molin, Artistic Director, Södertälje konsthall. Welcome!