Welcome to a guided tour of the exhibition 202 people in a room with photographers and artists Elin Berge and Kerstin Hamilton, who in their photographic projects investigate societies in change in different ways.

Elin Berge is represented in the exhibition with her project Drottninglandet where she portrays women in the areas between Umeå and Fredrika in Västerbotten. They have all moved from Thailand to Sweden to live with Swedish men and Berge’s ambition is to convey the women’s dreams of a better life but also their everyday life in the new country. Kerstin Hamilton is represented with an image from the series Welcome, passerby where she examines the many industrial towns in Sweden which, influenced by global capital flows, are being depopulated as industries are dismantled. In the picture, we see four teenage girls in Lesjöfors who represent the future but who will most likely also leave the town soon.

Together, through a informal conversation, they will talk about their own works, and may also make references to other works and points of contact in the exhibition based on their own experiences and practices.

The event is included in the entrance ticket. The guided tour is held in Swedish.

PARTICIPANTS:

ELIN BERGE is an award-winning documentary photographer and filmmaker living in Umeå who for many years has explored worlds that revolve around women’s bodies, identities and beliefs. Well-known picture series are Veils (2006), Drottninglandet (2009), The Kingdom (2015) and Awakening (2020). By portraying the phenomena she encounters with a conscious and open eye, she has succeeded in creating space for reflection and in-depth dialogue. Her photo series are rooms where the viewer is invited to question their ingrained beliefs.

KERSTIN HAMILTON is an artist and a doctor (PhD) in artistic research. She has studied photography in Dublin and Gothenburg and works with photography, montage and film, often in collaboration with researchers from various scientific disciplines. Hamilton’s work has been exhibited at the Modern Museum and the Riga International Art Biennale (RIBOCA) and she has curated exhibitions at Hasselblad Center and Västerbotten Museum (autumn 2023). She teaches at the Unit for film, photography and literary design, HDK-Valand, University of Gothenburg, where she also defended her dissertation The Objectivity Laboratory: Propositions on Documentary Photography.

Image:

On the left: Elin Berge, Wannee, Fredrika, 2009

On the right: Kerstin Hamilton, School graduation, Rämmens church, 2009