Upcoming: Hannah Modigh

In her project Archive of Longing, photographer Hannah Modigh portrayed women at Klaragården (now Boklara). At this day shelter, women voluntarily sat in front of the camera. They chose their own clothing and makeup for the portraits.

I got to know the women through Klaragården in Stockholm — a safe haven from vulnerability, where you could sleep, eat, wash, shower and talk. Over the course of a year, I took photos of anyone who wanted to be involved.

The energy that arises in a meeting is the core of the series. Based on this, Hannah Modigh set up a studio.

History is etched into the skin, the clothes and the eyes. The portraits were shot against a grey velvet backdrop that shifts with the light. Taken on analogue film with a medium-format camera to capture every detail, subtle signs in the images point to past events.

This work is about human connection — between the photographer and the subject, and between the artwork and us, the viewers. What draws our eye and heart often says more about ourselves than the person we are looking at. By looking at others, we learn about ourselves and our own longing.