"Movement in the blackness. I capture the magpie in flight—not as a static bird, but as a swift black movement that refuses to be fixed. Through large, rapid strokes and a focus on power rather than detail, I let the magpie fly out and up, beyond the limitations of the canvas. I gather the power in a passe-partout—a frame that does not hold back the flight, but gives it a worthy place to exist. It is here in the boundless blue that I feel most at home, in the indefinable.

As a former professional dancer and choreographer (see bio), I know that the truest movement often occurs in the intangible—in the acceleration, in the blurred moment when the body (or wing) almost dissolves to become one with the air. The magpie in my paintings does not just fly; it is in transformation. It is a reminder that we, like the magpie, can navigate between the physical and the visionary. Do you see it? Do you see the movement that refuses to stand still? “Do you see the magpie” – a tribute to flight and choreography on canvas.

In the collection “Do you see the magpie,” I explore the borderland between form and dissolution—the androgynous space where we are neither male nor female nor fixed categories, but pure energy.

For me, the framing is part of the work—the black frame and white matte act as an anchor for the magpie's wild power.

The Dissolution of the Magpie – Performance & Fine Art

By Tom Kvém , Award-Winning Choreographer and Artist

Running time: 8 minutes. “The Dissolution of the Magpie” is shown as part of an exhibition or a small-scale performance in which the paintings are presented in black frames with white passe-partouts.

The Concept

"The Dissolution of the Magpie" is a multidisciplinary exploration of transformation.

Through a series of original paintings and a live performance, the artist examines the boundary where the sharp silhouette of the magpie meets the void.

The Performance

Dressed in a black tuxedo and a white shirt, the artist portrays the bird’s metamorphosis through movement, sound and recorded poetic texts.

To a backdrop of magpie calls,the crunching of winter snow, and a ritualistic transformation occurs.

Using a hidden white pigment, the artist allows the subject to "trace" itself onto his own body and suit—a wing takes shape, a white mark lands on the crown—creating a raw yet controlled deconstruction of form.

The Fine Art Series

Accompanying the performance is a series of original 30/40cm works on paper by Tom Kvém.

Painted in the unique blue-black hue "Neptune’s Fog," the pieces show the magpie dissolving into its surroundings.

The works are designed to be exhibited in black frames with white mounts (passepartouts), creating a striking depth.

View the paintings here or at;

https://www.konst.se/tomwork.

Credentials & Awards

Grant Recipient, The Adlerbert Foundations, Gothenburg.

Grant Recipient, The Ivo Cramer Foundation, awarded at the Museum of Dance (Dansmuseet), Stockholm.

25 years of experience as a professional dancer and choreographer.

A trailer  is coming soon.

This is where I navigate through the past, present, and future.

What you see is a mix of expressions from stage works, experiments, sketches for film set design/backdrops, and short films.

It has been produced and created by me over the past 20 years or so.

Before that, I spent nearly as long as a professional dancer with and for various choreographers. (See Bio)

The common thread running through most of what I show here on the website is my interest, curiosity, and passion for the creative process itself. Experimenting and trying things out has always been a driving force.

At the bottom of the page, you can view film footage.

www.tomwork.se

(Updated February 2026)

Bilperspektiv1997 hittar ni  längst ner  bland filmlänkar. Ca 40 min film på en 50 meter djup scen.

Tom Kvém ( fd Håkansson), född i Visby, Gotland 23 mars 1960.

Barndans, simning, gymnastik, teater tog upp mycket av hans tid innan han som 17-åring fortsatte till Stockholm och vidareutbildning vid Balettakademien. ( 1978-82)

Därefter arbetade han som dansare i europeiska grupper; Nyt Dansk Danseteater, Zurich Tanztheater, Osnabruck Tanztheater( joel Schnee). Iwansion Company Munchen. Carte Blanche Norge.

Sv. Riksteatern med turnéprogram av Jessica Iwansons `Café Pingvin` och Ulf Gadds `Tango Buenos Aires 1907`.

Kortare produktioner med olika koreografer för turnéer, festivaler, tv mm; Ivo Cramér, Birgitt Egerbladh( Wonderland, Sthlm), Ulf Gadd, Ami Skåberg( Ballerina), Armin Wild, Mats Isaksson( Trolltagen), Helena Högberg, Mireille Le Blanc( Jag är ett vrak), Ulrika Liljedahl( Kärlek, hopp och groda), Robert Cohens arbeten, Robert North ( Troy game), Marie Brolin.

Slutet 80-tal en vistelse under vintern i Visby på Gotland. Här tillverkades `I Afton Dans`med bl a Helena Högberg, Christer Reveny och mig själv. Visades på Roxy Teater gamla biograf. Annika Boholm var oxå med och deltog på scen och skrev om arbetet.

Under 90-tal börjar Tom mera att koreografera för danselever vid estetiska utbildningar i Uddevalla. Samproduktioner mellan amatörer och proffs. Med initiativ från dåvarande danslärare Eva Persson.

Senare danskonsulent mm.

Bilperpektiv ( som bl a visades på en 50 meter djup scen! Prod. Strömstad). Blandat amatörer/ proffs.

3e rummet, en kärleksförklaring( samarbete över gränserna; Norge, Danmarkl, Sverige. Amatörer och proffs blandat. Prod; Strömstad).

Med Cramérensemblen och Ivo Cramér i Strömstad skapar han koreografier för kyrka och scen.

Tom  dansar i Ivos `Fader Vår` `Domardansen` och `Dervischer` där Margaretha Krook deltar med textläsning. 

Regisserar/ koreograferar för Ulf Karle, Strömstad; revyer och shower.

Koreograferar Anna Ostrowskis ( bl a ansvarig vid Stora Teatern Gbg)i Strömstad,  musikaluppsättningar med skolungdomar.

Medverkar i  svenska tv- produktioner som Jessica Iwansons `Nightbirds`. 

Ulf Gadds `Tango Buenos Aires 1907`

Utländska tv-prod. Tyskland, Schweiz, Italien, Danmark.

Skapar koreografier för grupper som Reg. teaterväst i Borås: 2005.

Den Dansande Garderoben för barn/ familj.

Även för Norrdans, Härnösand. 2006-7.

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