Sonja Hesslow Swedish, b. 1988
The preparations for each image are long and meticulous. Creatively, she builds and captures the dreamlike emotional values we see and feel in her studio.
At first glance, we see the light in the darkness. But if we look a little further, do we dare to see the darkness that exists within the light?
Sonja paints her objects with light. She uses lamps and flashlights as brushes to illuminate instead of the traditional flash. Often, the artist features herself in her motifs, closed eyes leading us to meditative, dreamlike, and serene moments. She carefully selects her objects, props, flowers, plants, and clothing. The preparations for each image are long and meticulous. Creatively, she builds and captures the dreamlike emotional values we see and feel in her studio.
The liveliness of the flowers is painted with the light in the infinite darkness that comes when we close our eyelids. The camera's long exposure time captures the image. Post-processing and retouching on the computer are just as enjoyable, important, and creative as the preparations. Doing the entire image process herself, from inspiration in a blooming meadow to printing the final image, is significant for Sonja. It can take over half a year to bring a picture to perfection. And surely it shows, as tranquility and stillness scream out while stress and congestion take a step back in her surrealist world of images.
