Anders Petersen

Anders Petersen (b. 1944) is one of Sweden’s most internationally recognized photographers. He is renowned for his stream of consciousness approach and his high contrast black and white imagery. His latest series From Back Home includes over 100 photographs of Värmland, Sweden, the majority of which were taken in 2008.

In From Back Home Petersen captures memories of melancholic times in the sparsely populated region of his teenage years. Petersen’s images present us with a slew of characters. People and situations we have all encountered, such as roughneck teenagers out looking for a good time, the old man who longs for companionship, and the kissing middle-aged couple. The people in the photographs are substitutes or stand-ins for the people in Petersen’s memories. However, friends and family are also represented. One of the most moving images is of Petersen’s mother. Despite her age she appears dignified, strong, and vital. Petersen has also photographed the inexplicable. The strange masked man peering out through the rain drenched window of his car. Or inanimate objects that Petersen imbues with life, such as the hollow-eyed snowman or the snake-like stick that seems to devour a tree.

This seemingly random collection of photographs is bound by one common denominator; they are images about seeking contact. The immediacy of a photograph, paired with Petersen’s chance encounters with his subjects, brings to mind the transience of our existence, and the understanding that home is subjective and indefinable, yet it is home that is at the core of our being. For Petersen the photographs taken in Värmland are much more than documentation, collectively they compose his self-portrait.

-Curator Michelle Marie Roy

Our Collection

Fotografiska’s collection focuses on important works of contemporary photography. Our first acquisition is the entire series of photographs from Anders Petersen’s exhibition, From Back Home. We are proud to present a selection from the series with this exhibition.