MARIE SJØVOLD

Marie Sjøvold, born 1982 in Norway. Sjøvold works with photography, video and photo books. In her photographic work, she tells universal stories where she often uses experiences from her own life and her own family, but she always plays with the boundaries between what is real and what is fiction. She has an intimate and playful approach to themes with an existential seriousness. Her books and exhibitions consist of both staged photographs and photographic documents. Sjøvold works consciously across photographic genres, to ask questions about the strength of photography as a witnesses of truth and our perception of reality.

Sjøvold has published six photo books and has exhibited at Deichtorhallen in Hamburg, Kristiansand Kunsthall (NO), Nobel Peace Center (NO), Fotografisk Center in Copenhagen, Trafo Kunsthall (NO) , Galleri F15(NO), Hå Gamle Prestegard(NO) og Calouste Gulbenkian in Paris.  In 2012 she was awarded the European Photo Exhibition award by Fritt Ord. Sjøvold's work is included in the collections of Fritt Ord (NO), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NO) and Ministry of Education (NO).

​

​

Marie Sjøvold, født 1982 i Norge. Sjøvold jobber med fotografi, video og fotobøker. I de fotografiske arbeidene hennes forteller hun universelle historier der hun ofte bruker erfaringer fra sitt eget liv og sin egen familie, men i historiene leker hun alltid med grensene mellom hva som er virkelighet og hva som er fiksjon. Hun har en intim og leken tilnærming til tematikker med et eksistensielt alvor. Hennes bøker og utstillinger består av både iscenesatte fotografier og fotografiske dokumenter. Sjøvold jobber bevisst på tvers av fotografiske sjangre, for å sette spørsmål rundt fotografiets styrke som sannhetsvitne og vår oppfattelse av virkeligheten.

Sjøvold har publisert seks fotobøker og stilt ut på blant annet Deichtorhallen i Hamburg, Kristiansand Kunsthall, Nobel Fredssenter, Fotografisk Center i København, Trafo Kunsthall , Galleri F15, Hå Gamle Prestegard og Calouste Gulbenkian i Paris. I 2012 ble hun tildelt "European Photo Exhibition award" av Fritt Ord. Sjøvolds verk er blant annet i samlingene til Fritt Ord, Utenriksdepartementet og Kunnskapsdepartementet.

​

Marie Sjøvold presents two of her series: Dust catches light & Midnight Milk

Midnight Milk

The identity of Nordic women is in a state of constant flux, but I don´t see the role of being a mother changing at the same speed or in the same direction. This creates a conflict and an ambivalens for many women. My essay is a photographic voyage through my own life, as I am exploring and trying to understand what happens to our identity and self-image when we have children.

The stage for motherhood is set long before a child is born; the scenography, props and co-actors are already given. As a child enters the world and creates a new family, our own history and the fact that time is passing become more visible. All of a sudden, the roles of the generations are mixed up. Slowly, we create our own homes and our own traditions, adding new branches to the family tree. As time goes by, our children find their own place in this story, leaving their own footprints. My essay is a photographic voyage through my own life, staged as I am exploring and trying to understand the transformation.

​

** Click on image to view its full size.