Photography in Sweden underwent significant changes in the period 1985–95. It was the era of post-modernism, when a conceptual approach was firmly established, when female artists and photographers gained more ground, and when the worlds of art and photography began to merge. It was a time of resistance–both from a new generation of photographers and artists and from the representatives of the “old school”, who saw their power positions threatened. However, it was also a time when parts of the art world and advertising linked arms for a brief moment, which almost certainly benefited the establishment of photography in the field of art. With the emphasis on how Gothenburg stepped into the breach for these changes, the exhibition Mörkrum / Svartklubb (Dark rooms / Underground clubs) reflects the many platforms of photography and examines how the medium mixed with performance, video, text, design and music, and how the photo scene conveyed both darkness and glittering light.

The artists and photographers present at the exhibition have been linked to Gothenburg in different ways. Some have worked their entire career in the city, others made their mark through participation in significant exhibitions, while still others studied photography at the School of Photography or taught at the school for limited periods. Yet others trained at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm or spent periods studying abroad – but remained a part of the Gothenburg photo scene and have continued to influence it to this day.

The exhibition is based on the Hasselblad Foundation’s collection, supplemented with works generously loaned by a range of museums and photographers.

Louise Wolthers and Andréas Hagström, curators

Artists in the exhibition:

Lotta Antonsson, Tom Benson, Dawid, Monica Englund, Dan Fröberg, Marléne Hamström, Annika Elisabeth von Hausswolff, Maria Hedlund, Benny Hellberg, Axel Karlsson Rixon, Anders Kristensson, Pelle Kronestedt, Maria Lindberg, Lasse Lindkvist, Tuija Lindström, Ulf Lundin, Martin Norberg, Ingrid Orfali, Cecilia Parsberg, Björn Rantil, Ann-Sofi Sidén and Lars Wallsten.

Image: Take it as a man #6, 1990 © Lotta Antonsson