Meet Matilda Forsberg
About Matilda Forsberg
Matilda Forsberg is a Swedish-born painter whose vibrant, layered work explores the interconnected themes of family, heritage, migration, and memory. With fluid layers of color in acrylic and mixed media, Forsberg reimagines family photographs and live scenes, transforming archival moments into emotionally charged paintings that transcend time and place.
Her practice is inspired by the complexities of multicultural identity and the search for belonging across borders. Matilda’s paintings feature figures in group settings, their individuality fluid yet present, occupying dream-like spaces influenced by Nordic landscapes and rich diasporan and immigrant experiences.
Based in New Jersey, Forsberg has exhibited her work across the United States and has received multiple grants, including the 2021 City of Newark and Newark Arts Creative Catalyst Fund Grant. Her work has been recognized with the Best in Show Award at BWAC Gallery (juried by MoMA Associate Curator Paulina Pobocha), and she has been featured in exhibitions, including The Immigrant Artist Biennial and at Gallery Aferro.
Matilda creates works that blend historical imagery with contemporary elements, focusing on shared experiences, cultural rituals, and the emotional weight of memory.
In December 2025, Matilda concluded the immersive artist residency at The Dot Ateliers in Accra, Ghana, where she deepened her live-painting practice and explored how light, shape, texture, and color inhabit the physical and geographic spaces we move through.
Other residencies include the Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic residency, and more. As a featured artist at The 7 Space, select works are currently available in our shop.
Painting memory and migration.
Finding home across borders.
Matilda’s paintings explore family dynamics, heritage, identity, and perception through the lens of immigration and cultural tradition. Sourcing imagery from family photos, live scenes, and archives, she reimagines past moments, exploring what emerges when looking closely at history and the implications of memory on narrative.
Her work frequently features figures in group settings, their individuality blurred and mutable, but not erased. They occupy dream-like spaces inspired by Nordic landscapes and immigrant experiences. Through vibrant layers of color and fluid mark-making, Matilda creates paintings that meditate on place, finding a sense of belonging, and the intermingling of personal histories across cultures.
Migrant Birds
A Place of Dreams
Baby Steps
The Matriarch
Recent Work
Matilda recently completed a residency at Dot Ateliers in Accra, Ghana (2025 cohort), exploring themes of migration, family, and belonging in West Africa.
“Migrant Birds” and other works are available at The 7 Space.
Upcoming Events
Follow Matilda on Instagram or check out her website here.
