Sofia Runarsdotter, Girl, Unboxed
MFA solo exhibition, Konstfack
Curated by Ashik Zaman
March 3 - 13, 2022
Installation view, Sofia Runarsdotter, Girl, Unboxed, curated by Ashik Zaman, Havet, Konstfack, Stockholm
Sofia Runarsdotter's MFA solo exhibition Girl, Unboxed connects to the ongoing and long-term project Girl, Battle which in turn stems from her personal experiences of dedicating herself to handball during adolescent years. In conjunction with the exhibition at Konstfack, another iteration of Girl, Battle in the form of the window display exhibition Window Pane/Pain is currently on show at Centrum För Fotografi in Stockholm. As all the titles denote, at the core the project surveys what the inherent stakes of playing might have been, beyond the actual game court. A conscious choice was made to alter the vast space of Havet at Konstfack into something physically imposing; something neither alluding too literally to a sporting and playing court - but with an evident whiff of it - nor allowing to be confined to the harsh limitations of Havet as far as presenting photography is generally concerned. Optics, perspectives and play with words and art historical references were a drive from the start. For us in the C-print team whose year in 2022 was already going to be marked by the juxtaposition of contemporary art and sports, Sofia's project is one of obvious interest. We are releasing The Sports Issue in print in spring which we have produced with the BA2 Class in Graphic Design & Illustration at Konstfack as the art direction, design and illustration team, led by Emma Löfström & Roby Redgrave McPherson. Sofia Runarsdotter is one of the featured artists in a lengthier in-depth interview. Below follows only a small excerpt from an interview between Sofia Runarsdotter and our editor-in-chief Ashik Zaman, the curator of her MFA solo exhibition, from the upcoming magazine issue.
Installation view, Sofia Runarsdotter, Girl, Unboxed, curated by Ashik Zaman, Havet, Konstfack, Stockholm
C-P: What I like with this project is that I can really trace and construct art historical connections which makes this body of work more powerful to me as a whole. We've been speaking about connections to Dutch portraiture and to a canon of feminist art, among other notions.
S.R: My intention at an early stage was to approach Baroque painting with my photographs. However, in terms of representation I also wanted to place emphasis on which bodies in art and club sports. If I only photographed white, blonde girls it would feel too national romantic to me, especially in a divisive and controversial place like Havet at Konstfack where my solo exhibition takes place. My point of departure was famous baroque paintings by Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, Caravaggio. I’m fond of transforming status, and I photographed the young athletes with a large and middle format camera to bring care to the process.
Installation view, Sofia Runarsdotter, Girl, Unboxed, curated by Ashik Zaman, Havet, Konstfack, Stockholm
Installation view, Sofia Runarsdotter, Girl, Unboxed, curated by Ashik Zaman, Havet, Konstfack, Stockholm
Installation view, Sofia Runarsdotter, Girl, Unboxed, curated by Ashik Zaman, Havet, Konstfack, Stockholm
Installation view, Sofia Runarsdotter, Girl, Unboxed, curated by Ashik Zaman, Havet, Konstfack, Stockholm
Installation view, Sofia Runarsdotter, Girl, Unboxed, curated by Ashik Zaaman, Havet, Konstfack, Stockholm