Matts Leiderstam

This publication is the official catalogue for Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde’s 2025 exhibition Soltavlan – Matts Leiderstam, Prince Eugen’s Altarpiece, and the Relocation of Kiruna Church.

In August 2025, the 600-ton wooden structure of Kiruna Church was relocated—a historic event witnessed by people from around the world. Accompanying the move was Prince Eugen’s altarpiece, which serves as the starting point for Matts Leiderstam’s compelling exhibition, opening on 15 November at Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde.

For this exhibition, Leiderstam has created a series of paintings and a large-scale installation that delve into the altarpiece’s creation and significance. Originally shown at the Kin Museum for Contemporary Art in Kiruna, the exhibition is now presented in Prince Eugen’s studio.

Matts Leiderstam, an artist and researcher, has long engaged with the history of landscape painting, the viewer’s gaze, and art-historical structures. In this project, he examines not only the altarpiece’s motifs, symbolism, and origins, but also the play of light: how sunlight moved across the painting in its original church setting, and how its new orientation within the urban landscape transforms its visual impact today.