Linda Bondestam conjures up something entirely new for her illustration exhibition, but there will also be something old, surprisingly timely and most definitely unexpected!

“The characters just appear when I have a piece of paper in front of me and a pencil in hand. I do not even know where they come from. Sometimes while sitting on a train, I watch my fellow passengers and secretly sketch them,” says Linda.*

In addition to drawing, Linda also paints and uses watercolours and pastels. She then continues working on the images digitally to finalise her pieces. She believes that children’s literature must embrace diversity, which is why she gives careful thought to whose stories are seen and heard in her books. Linda is not afraid to explore the darker effects of human activity on our planet, but she always includes a gentle thread of hope for a better world through her illustrations.

Linda Bondestam (b. 1977) is one of the most prominent creators of children’s books in the Nordic countries. The books she has illustrated have often been published simultaneously in both Swedish and Finnish. In addition, her illustrated works have been translated into around twenty languages. Bondestam has received numerous awards, including the Nordic Council’s Children and Young People’s Literature Prize, and she has been nominated for several prestigious awards in both Finland and Sweden. In 2024, Linda Bondestam won the esteemed Swedish August Prize in the children’s and young adult literature category with her book Chop Chop. En tapper jordbos berättelse (Förlaget, 2024). Hopi hopi. Reippaan robotin tarina. (Teos, 2024).

*Quote from Linda Bondestam’s interview in Suomen Kuvalehti, 25 January 2025.