Totally Stockholm 1
A lot of the work in this exhibition originated o
nline, so what are the challenges in translating that into a physical space, like a gallery? To me, the biggest challenge, and I wish this wasn’t an issue, is money. What I love with online space is that in general it’s cheaper. Yes, phones cost money, computers cost money, but it is something that most people have today, and it’s a very accessible tool to do creative things with, and to reach a lot of people without having a lot of money. For me, coming offline, that is the biggest issue. I never have a problem with lack of ideas. But there’s a limit to resources in a way there isn’t online? Yeah. And also, as a photographer, you get a lot of things produced. And sometimes I get anxious about that, because it’s hard to know the whole process. A lot of things that get produced get produced in China, and that feels so incredibly outsourced, like you have no idea how the work situation is for the people making things. So there’s a lot of things like that. So money, and things like that. So not so much the visual things, but all of the behind the scenes things, are what I personally struggle with. You’ve both worked as a photographer for others, and as a model yourself, but in your own work you tend to make yourself the subject of your work, when it involves people. So when you’re in your creative mode, do you feel more comfortable using yourself as a subject? Well, it kind of started with me being a teen, and not really daring to take photos of others, because I was too shy, and I thought people would tell me I did something wrong. It’s been a general vibe in my life, thinking that I’m doing something wrong, not so much anymore actually, but it used to be like that. When I was in my pre-teens and teens, that’s when the net became Web 2.0, and images got more important online. I was alternative, so I hung out a lot online, and I had a few friends from my suburb, who also were alternative, and then we made friends with other alt kids from other Stockholm suburbs through the www. So images, and presenting yourself as a cool alternative person [was important], and you saw people who had cool images of themselves, and cool images in general, got a lot of traction. So it was kind of simple. And then you’re a teen, so I wanted to know what I looked like, and wanted to look hot for the online people. I took a lot of selfportraits from like twelve to fourteen, and then when I was fifteen I wanted to pursue being a photographer. And I didn’t really dare to photograph other people, so I kept photographing myself. Now, there’s another aspect to it, when it comes to exhibiting things. At the show at Steinsland, I had a couple of other people, like the butts and the balls. But in general, I find it really complicated taking photos of others and exhibiting them. Not saying I will never do that, but in terms of money and who owns the photo… A lot of other factors come into play? Yeah, exactly. There’s a lot of photographers I love and who do great things photographing others, and we talked about this a little bit when I was at a photography festival in Croatia a couple of months ago, and I was on a panel with a lot of other ladies that practise photography. I guess the usual practise is to photograph other people. I think a lot of people do great work like that, but I find it really hard. Mainly in terms of money and power, and owning the photo. You hold so much power in legal and moral sense when photographing someone. I read an interview you did at around the time of the Steinsland Berliner exhibition, and I think they asked you how the internet had affected your art, and you replied “I don’t know, it’s just there. And I can’t imagine away something that’s always been there”. Do you get tired of being billed as ‘internet artist’ or an ‘Instagram artist’ or whatever? Because for you, and someone in your age group, the internet has never been a novelty, it’s always been a natural part of your world. It’s kind of like asking someone how paint or a camera has affected their art? Yeah, ‘how has paint been important’. Honestly, I’m not tired of it. Just because I guess I love a lot of net artists, who are more like real internet artists, I feel like I’m not cool and internet enough to be an ‘internet artist’. So I wouldn’t say I’m tired of that question. I guess I’m an Instagram artist, but being an internet artist feels like that’s flattering me too much. I wish to be that, but I’m not sure I am that. Do you think of yourself more as an artist who uses the internet, rather than an ‘internet artist’? No, the thing is I’d like to be an internet artist, but I don’t know if refers to a group that is, I don’t know, a little more edge. I think it’s also because I just recently started to not be ashamed of being a photographer. Being a photographer in art communities is not really cool, I would say. Like being a painter, that’s also not that 11