31 december 2021, Flor Linckens
Anja Niemi: “I want to talk about what it’s like to be human, what it’s like to be a woman, but never what it’s like to be me.”
Until 8 January, you can explore the solo exhibition 'The Rider Vol.1' by Anja Niemi (represented by The Ravestijn Gallery) online on GalleryViewer. When the Norwegian photographer was little, she was full of stories, but she had trouble expressing these stories in words. She secretly desired to become an actor, but she was incredibly shy. Niemi: “When I first started taking photographs, I realised I could create stories all by myself and completely without words, it changed everything. I could finally turn my ideas into something tangible.”
Niemi always works alone. She creates detailed tableaus in which she plays a leading role herself, albeit often turned away from the audience. Niemi: “My work is based on staged photography. I create fictional stories where I am both the author and the character.” Yet these photographs should not be considered as self-portraits, because they are not about the photographer. Niemi: “I want to talk about what it’s like to be human, what it’s like to be a woman, but never what it’s like to be me. A self-portrait can be so much more than a photograph of you.”
Anja Niemi, A Moment of Trust, 2021, The Ravestijn Gallery
Occasionally, Niemi refers to events that seem to have just taken place. The photographer often explores the tension between surrealism and realism, humor and tragic elements. Niemi: “Life is filled with moments when humour blends into tragedy and ugliness into perfection, and I find it interesting that we often seem to be more comfortable with them apart. It´s easier to just turn your head away from something that is purely morbid or tragic, than if there is something humorous or beautiful about it. The attraction is uncomfortable and interesting.”
Anja Niemi, Involuntary Disembarkation, 2021, The Ravestijn Gallery
In the series “The Rider Vol. 1”, Niemi depicts a mysterious rider and her horse. The series is in fact a sequel to her earlier series “The Blow” from 2019, in which a female boxer took center stage. Niemi's cinematic photos suggest a narrative and touch upon universal feelings and topics of conversation. Where “The Blow” refers to struggle and conflict, her new series is about mutual trust, respect and the will to understand each other. All of this is symbolised by the relationship between a rider and her horse, who are able to become one, in the best case scenario, provided there is a long-term investment in their shared bond of trust — a relationship in which there is really no room for fear.
Anja Niemi, White Horse and the Lake, 2021, The Ravestijn Gallery
The photographer has an ambivalent relationship with horses, a type of animal that she simultaneously fears [as a result of a riding accident in her youth] and loves.
Niemi: “Horses have an amazing ability to sense your emotions and such a lovely way of changing them for the better. My fear is still there, suspended. But as my relationships and connections grow stronger, I am slowly letting go. When creating ‘The Rider’, I had to change almost everything about the way I worked. Horses are wilful and fast, and I wanted to photograph them on their terms without being too dominating or forceful. I could no longer be as repetitive and meticulous as I usually am, but what I got in return was really rewarding.“
Niemi studied at the London College of Printing and the Parsons School of Design in Paris and New York. She produced four photography books, some of which she made in collaboration with her sister Lena Niemi — who doés have a way with words. Niemi's photography was included in the photography books Firecrackers: Female Photographers Now (Thames & Hudson) and 1001 Photographs You Must See Before You Die (Cassell).
