This practice dates from her first approach to photography as a family register, that evolved towards thematic representations like motherhood, affections and identity. For the artist, photography is a cathartic and therapeutic practice that allows an intimate connection and recognition of a sensitive nature between the artist, the portrayed characters and the viewer.
The femininity, the nude, and the body are recurring elements in her body of work, with the intention to express an emotive charge of intimacy through the portrayed character that merges into dreamlike environments, more than scenarios, nature and the home are presented as primitive habitats of life, as more than a mere space where the personal relationships perspire in their most organic environment. Based on the exploration of themes such as melancholy, despair, and the fragility of human relationships, the artist through her lens, seeks to invite the viewer to recognize themselves emotionally within the faces and bodies of the portrayed characters.
Sofía Fernández Stenström's work is defined by the use of photography as a memory device.
SOFÍA FERNÁNDEZ STENSTRÖM
(Stockholm, Sweden, 1974)
Sofía Fernández Stenström spent her childhood and adolescence between Sweden and Spain due to her parents nationalities, a condition that led her to question her roots and identity from an early age through photographic documentation. At an early age she ventured as a photography assistant in the studio of Tomás Giden, a period where she trained in photographic production and postproduction. Subsequently, she studied at the College of Distributive Trades, in London, England, where she took interest in the experimentation of various photographic resources such as digital, and instant photography.
Her artistic production stands out for its consistency, as well for addressing issues related to personal identity, mainly from the representation of women. Her photographs, predominantly black and white, are intended to operate as a timeless record of intimate and personal encounters between the portrayed characters and herself. For the artist, photography has been an instrument of self-knowledge and understanding of the other.
Throughout her career she has participated in several art exhibitions in countries such as Spain, Sweden and Italy. Her work has been published in magazines such as Vogue Italia, Lamono Magazine, MiND # 9, Jute Fashion Magazine, among others. She currently lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.
Sofía F Stenström’s exhibition Alma was available between the 2nd and 23rd of February 2023
Previous Works
Women in me
Women in me is the most predominant series in the body of work of the photographer.This project was born in 2008 from a set of self-portraits where the photographer presents herself naked and defying the lens.This series surfaces as an exercise of self-discovery around her own search for femininity and individuality.
Beyond the search to redefine the diluted femininity by the pass of the years, motherhood and personal relationships, the artist seeks to document the transparency and vulnerability of emotions through the naked women's bodies. Within the years, the photographic project had mutated and expanded until it came to portray other female characters close to the life of the photographer. Similar to a mirror exercise, the muses grow together with the photographer, baring their internal conflicts, their insecurities and their own conceptions of femininity, in order to merge into whimsical scenarios where nature flows as a space for the initiation of a dialogue between psychic intimacy and the habitable bodies.
Untitled, 2012
Digital print on baryta paper 79.4 x 59.7 cm
Untitled, 2012
Digital print on baryta paper 59.7 x 79.4 cm
Untitled, 2012
Digital print on baryta paper 59.7 x 79.4 cm
Exhibitions
2020 Inner Nature - Galería Victor Lope, Barcelona, Spain
2018 A postcard from utopia, Collective Show – Adda Gallery, Bahía de San Antonio, Ibiza, Balearic Islands
2017 Singular- Collective Show - Galería Víctor Saavedra, Barcelona, Spain
2017 Fragile – AD Gallery, Chiasso Perduto, Florence, Italy
2017 Undressed – Venice, Italy
2017 Artistic collaboration with the theater Company La Pura Dels Baus, Barcelona, Spain
2015 Viviendo en familia, ellos crecen, nosotros también - Collaborative Project with the Community of Madrid, Pozuelo - Madrid
2014 Nude – Espacio Zoe, Bassano Del Grappa, Italy
2013 Abnormants – Mulino Vecchio, Nove, Italy
2013 Untitled with Maya – La Maison, Bassano Del Grappa, Italy
2013 Polaroid, Fotografiska – Stockholm Photography week, Stockholm, Sweden
2013 Live! ALU - Milan Design Week, Colaboración con Fashion Studio Magazine
2010 Fine Art Photography, Exhibición Colectiva – Pic * Boutique,Vicenza Italy
2009 Children – Espacio In & Out, Milan, Italy