Fuelled by a love of vivid colors and disco music, the illustrations of Hanna Albrektson invites the viewer to see the world through her eyes. A world that – although far from perfect – is vibrant with playfulness and excitement.

Having worked professionally as an illustrator for some 20 years, Albrektson has gradually invented herself as an artist in her own right, all the while expanding her domain through commissioned assignments.

One defining aspect of Albrektson’s illustrations, which might not be apparent at first, is her liberal attitude towards the drawing of outlines. This rather unconventional expression in the field of illustration comes from her method of using hand painted papers and scissors and then letting the colors shape the artwork. Hanna points out that since she doesn’t believe in limitations, why should her illustrations be ruled by them?

Her artistic process is akin to an act of decoding, whereby the viewer is presented with her interpretation of the world before her. Household objects, environments, garments or even exotic birds: all things that can be decoded and given a new place in the world. To make it curious, colorful and full of life.

Throughout her career so far, she has lent her hand to a versatile pool of clients both foreign and domestic to her native Sweden. Apart from numerous magazines and books, her work has found its way onto wine labels, posters and various advertising and branding campaigns.

In 2012 she also made her debut as both author and illustrator of a series of children’s board books – ten so far – which, apart from garnering high praise in Sweden, has been translated and published in Denmark, Norway, Korea and Japan. In 2023, Albrektson was also selected by the Swedish Institute for Children’s Books (IBBY) to participate in the Biennial of Illustration (BIB) in Bratislava, Slovakia.

If we agree that art can change the world, if only by a small nudge, then what world do we want that to be? Hanna Albrektson has an answer to that, and we’re all welcome to a place where the sun shines a little brighter.