Heidi Ulman says an artist must understand life

Lawyer and artist Heidi Ulman says her varied experiences inform her painting, telling ERR’s culture programme “OP” that an artist must know life.

Ulman has practised law for 20 years and studied international human rights at Lund University in Sweden. Her work includes criminal, civil and administrative proceedings. She said the anxiety before an exhibition opening feels very different from the pressure of a court hearing, which she compared to a ride on a high-speed train.

Ulman has studied painting at Pallas art school for two years. She said she was welcomed there despite being considerably older than her fellow students, and found the atmosphere free and accommodating.

Her exhibition “Blue Stochkholm and Pavlov Dogs” at Patarei maritime fortress explores inner prisons and the limits people place on themselves, as well as those imposed by previous generations, culture and society. The exhibition is open until October 25.