Totally Stockholm 1
Do you think your philosophy as an institution ha
s changed in any way over that last eight years? No, but we had a different mentality when we started. Our relation to the world has naturally changed over the eight years that have gone by, and especially with regards to the photography establishment that exists around the world, and our network with other institutions. We have become very well-respected out there in the world. When we opened on May 21 2010, [famous photographer] Annie Leibovitz said at the press conference that now people had begun to talk about photography in Stockholm and what was happening here. And it went pretty fast. And a big part of the photo community now knows that at Fotografiska is where you’ll find a lot of the best exhibitions. I saw your exhibition with the political parties [Fotografiska invited Sweden’s political parties to submit images that represent how they want Sweden to look after the election] last week. What was your goal with that, and do you think institutions like Fotografiska have a responsibility to contribute to political discussion like that? It’s that it’s election year this year, and with our ambition to contribute to a more conscious world, it’s a part of that goal. And we thought we would show what the parties are about, and get them to imagine the Sweden they want to see after the election. We felt it was an exciting challenge for them, and it would let our guests see what kind of visual identity, what kind of visual language that these parties use. They tend to campaign digitally, people see the photos all the time, so we thought if we lift those images up and hang them up, how would those parties feel visually? And what kind of Sweden do they want to see? You will now open in London and New York. What are your ambitions with that, and do you hope to open in more cities in the future? We will open in more cities, and we’re working on that now. We want to continue to spread photography, and we want to contribute to a more conscious world, in many places, not just Stockholm. We felt that, even from when we opened, that what we do is quite unique, and we think it’s needed in more places. So we have been contacted by cities that are working on their city development and planning, and others who want to take photography to more places in the world. New York will open early next year, and then we’ll see what happens. Is it difficult to open several branches in several cities and still have every one be a unique experience, and not just have it feel like a franchise? No, it will still feel like a proper Fotografiska. We have had so many greats contacts, like photographers and people at institutions all around the world, with an eye on putting together exhibitions and touring them around. It is quite expensive to put together exhibitions in the way we do it, so to be able to show them in more places will let us have a bit more budget for each exhibition, and it’s a very exciting opportunity. When you open a new Fotografiska, what qualities do you want to carry over? What is Fotografiska’s signature? I hope that when we open in New York our exhibitions will be of a class even higher than those we have in Stockholm. And that it will contribute to Fotografiska’s exhibitions in Stockholm becoming even better. I think the more Fotografiskas there are around the world, the more the quality will increase. How do you see photo-art developing into the future? Now there are many photo-artists who use the internet heavily in their work, they work on Instagram, with video-effects, with more conceptual and meta art. So how do you see photo-art developing? Photo-art will continue to develop. Photography is of course a technique in the bigger art world, a technique one uses, and there are many who mix techniques, using digital effects and video. I think it’s only going to develop and develop. Even in our physical exhibitions, we have done things 10 photo: Anton Corbijn photo: Martin Schoeller