Maj-Britt Niklasson to Represent Sweden at Tokyo International Art Awards Exhibition

Leap by Maj-Britt Niklasson — Leap © Maj-Britt Niklasson

BY MARK ANDERSON

Swedish artist, musician, and writer Maj-Britt Niklasson will soon bring her deeply introspective work to an international audience in Japan. Selected to participate in the Tokyo International Art Awards Exhibition at the prestigious Metropolitan Art Museum, Niklasson will travel to Tokyo to attend the event and receive the International Peace Award for her evocative painting Without footprints. The exhibition runs from May 29 to June 4, 2025.

Niklasson’s award-winning painting, Without footprints, is a serene and contemplative work that captures the essence of presence and peace. “The shadows are calm and kind,” she says of the painting. “It’s morning, no footprints. It’s here and now.” Featuring a horse, a dog, and human figures, the piece is a quiet meditation on harmony and the subtle poetry of untouched moments.

Without footprints by Maj-Britt Niklasson — Without Footprints © Maj-Britt Niklasson

A multidisciplinary artist whose talents span visual art, music, and literature, Niklasson has long explored the depths of the human experience through various mediums. With over 30 years of painting and exhibiting, including a scholarship from the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, she is known for her distinctive, symbol-rich oil paintings that speak to the universality of life’s existential questions—light and shadow, birth and death, stillness and motion.

Her art is not her only voice. As a seasoned musician and composer, Niklasson continues to develop a parallel musical career. On May 21, she will release a new English-language single titled Choir of Dawn’s Light, available on Spotify, YouTube, and other major platforms. The original Swedish lyrics were written by Niklasson herself, with the English version co-written alongside Catharina Jarl. The song, born from darkness and resolution, echoes themes of wounding, awakening, and the return of hope. “I searched for echoes / I searched for signs / But all I found was a wound… Then I heard the choir… Soft and humming voices / The choir of dawn’s light,” the lyrics say—reflecting the same quiet strength that runs through Niklasson’s visual work.

On the Stone by Maj-Britt Niklasson — On the Stone © Maj-Britt Niklasson

This autumn, she will release a full-length CD titled Big Bang – födelsen (Big Bang – the Birth), a collection of original songs that she both composed and performs. Singing and playing the violin, Niklasson blends lyrical sensitivity with musical depth, continuing her journey as a singer-songwriter. The image of the space with the little girl will be the cover of her CD this autumn—linking her visual storytelling with the sonic worlds she creates.

Prior to devoting herself fully to painting, Niklasson toured internationally as a professional musician with the Swedish folk-rock group Landslaget (Friendship Train), recording several albums and performing across borders. Even as her focus shifted toward visual art, music remained an integral part of her identity. Today, her exhibitions often feature live performances, creating immersive, multisensory experiences that blur the line between sight and sound.

Niklasson is also a published writer, adding yet another dimension to her expression of the human condition. Whether through painting, music, or the written word, her work invites reflection, empathy, and connection.

With her upcoming exhibition in Tokyo and continued musical output, Maj-Britt Niklasson proves once again that art knows no boundaries. Her creative journey, rooted in introspection and openness, serves as a powerful reminder that even in a divided world, art can unite us in our shared humanity.

BY MARK ANDERSON

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