Art By Design: The work of photographer Anja Niemi
Author:Abigail StoneArt is an integral part of a finished interior. Whether you’re starting a collection or considering what to hang on a blank wall, from time to time we’ll be sharing work that has piqued our interest.
We recently spotted Oslo photographer Anja Niemi‘s work during a tour of Los Angeles’ new members-only creative club, h Club. Dotted throughout Jarman’s, the building’s elegant fin-de-siécle restaurant on the rooftop, her photographs straddle a curious line, addressing contemporary feminist concerns through a dreamy lens of muted colors, coy subjects and lush backdrops.
Her latest show, “She Could Have Been A Cowboy,” now on view at Galerie XII on Wilshire Boulevard, sees Neimi, who in the tradition of other female photographers like Cindy Sherman inserts herself into her work, continue the investigation of self that is at the heart of her imagery. Here, her fictional character, trapped in a pink dress and a life of conformity, dreams of life as a cowboy, riding horses through the still-undiscovered and untamed Wild West.
Born in 1976, Neimi began taking pictures as a teenager. “I realized I could tell stories without words,” she says, “This changed everything, I finally found the best way to express myself.” From her initial exploration in 2011’s “Do Not Disturb” through 2016’s “The Woman Who Never Existed” to these current pieces, she continues to explores the relationship of women to their, often stifling, environments. Somehow, it’s not surprising to discover that Neimi works alone. As photographer, stylist and subject, she is in total control, enjoying a freedom her characters can only dream of.
Anja Niemi at Galerie XII, through June 22nd, 6150 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048, Wednesday-Saturday 11 am-6 pm. For more of Niemi’s work, see here.
