Moldova is the focus of a new exhibition at Fotografiska (Stockholm), which presents the work of Swedish (b.1976). Its title, Silent Land, is taken from her experiences of visiting in 2005 and again in 2014. In the intervening period, she noticed, an eerie quiet had fallen over the streets. A third of the population had moved abroad, which she describes as a 鈥渄emographic disaster.鈥 As her work shows, this has irrevocably changed the country. She found buildings left unfinished and families struggling to survive in an atmosphere that seemed 鈥渓ike time had been reversed.鈥 The broader geo-political and economic context is a tale of a burgeoning democracy experiencing 鈥 amongst other issues 鈥 serious fraud and bankruptcy. As an article in The Guardian notes: 鈥淟aw enforcement officers in Moldova and Latvia have tracked down at least $20bn in dirty money.鈥 (Luke Harding,
The photographs on show, however, operate on a closer and more personal scale. They offer a view into the lives of the Gradinari family, who Sj枚str枚m became close to, visiting them repeatedly. Reliant on the land, this family of nine children made a permanent impact on her perceptions of the country. Although she had already noted its vulnerability, they offered her an insight not only into 鈥渆xistential struggle,鈥 but also 鈥渢heir warmth and their love.鈥 She was struck by the strength and resilience they displayed, and her resulting output echoes this. Children and young adults facing enormous difficulties are shown openly and honestly, with their aspirations given equal prominence to their struggles.
Natasa Gradinari, 19, was told by doctors she could never work again after a childhood accident, for example, but she nonetheless hopes to move to Italy to find employment. The personal element is absolutely key. 鈥淲e share the same dreams, the same hopes for the future,鈥 Sj枚str枚m says, 鈥渋t鈥檚 just the conditions that separate us. I see myself in the people I photograph and often wonder what my life would have been like if I had lived there.鈥 This affecting collection offers a powerful insight into the micro 鈥 but no less significant for it 鈥 effects of global change.
Silent Land is at Fotografiska until 4 February. Find out more .
Anna Feintuck
Credits:
1.聽聽From 脜sa Sj枚str枚m’s聽Silent Land. Courtesy of Fotografiska.
