Anja Niemi

-In what way is ART a tool for activism?

Art has the ability to ask questions and move us emotionally with a single image, in our fast-paced times that can hold a lot of power.

-In what way does your chosen piece for HRW reflect 2020?

When creating THE BLOW in 2019 I was not aware of the massive struggles ahead. I was thinking of fights in general and our ability to persevere and keep going. This ability does not feel irrelevant with the battles we have been facing this past year. It's about not giving up.

-What gives you hope?

Kindness.

BIO

Anja Niemi (b. 1976, Norway) always works alone; placing herself within her own meticulous tableaux, she constructs fictional stories where she is both the author and the character. In Darlene & Me (2014), Niemi plays the parts of two identical women living against the backdrop of a sparse, bleached house in the desert. The dualism in each performative photograph speaks clearly of the internal, and often opposing, voices we are all so attune with. In this way, as with all of her work, Niemi appeals to ideas that are innate to the human condition, rather than being confined to a personal mediation. And whilst her poetic narratives are wholly imagined (although frequently inspired by film and literature), they act as an intimate space to catalyse real conversations about identity, conformity and the relationship we have with ourselves.

Anja Niemi studied at the London College of Printing in Paris and Parsons School of Design in New York and has exhibited in galleries worldwide. Four monographs of her work have been published, Short Stories (Jane & Jeremy, 2016),The Woman Who Never Existed (Jane & Jeremy, 2017), She Could Have Been A Cowboy (Jane & Jeremy, 2018) and In Character (Thames & Hudson, 2019). Recent museum exhibitions include Fotografiska (Stockholm and Talinn), MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon) and Des Moines Art Center (Iowa). Her work is part of various public and private collections.

Anja Niemi was recommended to 20 21 Artists in support of Human Rights Watch by Artist Vee Speers.

anjaniemiphotography.com Instagram: @anjaniemiphotography

This artwork is framed and located in Amsterdam. WILLAS contemporary will facilitate artwork release within 28 days after payment. Can be picked up by the buyer, or shipped at the buyer´s expense.