“This picture was taken at the National Museum of Sweden in 2015. The whole museum was empty for renovation and all the art had been temporarily stored away. Upon entering the space, I was immediately struck by the sunlight reaching into this narrow room and knew that I had to take a picture here. It was the starting point of my 1886 project, which was based around photographing the empty museum (built in 1886). The building is darkened to a large extent as a means of preserving the art, thus allowing light to shine through the room. I welcomed this completely new experience. My idea was to add a motif of figures devoid of identity, akin to ghosts from the past, in the room. I worked with designer Emelie Janrell to clothe the characters in dresses with historical references yet in exaggerated futurist dimensions. There is a disturbing element in the figures due to the playful proportions. Using an old 8×10 camera and analogue film made the figures more static, creating an awkward feeling of time being preserved in the middle of the museum.” — Denise Grünstein is a Finnish photographer, currently based in Stockholm and represented by Christian Larsen. "I was immediately struck by the sunlight reaching into this narrow room upon entering the space and knew that I had to take a picture here." TwitterFacebookPinterest "I was immediately struck by the sunlight reaching into this narrow room upon entering the space and knew that I had to take a picture here." Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 19 Going Incognito We all secretly wonder what mischief we’d make if invisible: When our identity is hidden, everything seems possible. Arts & Culture Issue 19 The Best Policy Sometimes we talk to each other without feeling heard. Honesty—a most intimate interaction—can be just as thrilling as its more devious inverse. Arts & Culture Issue 19 A Sense of Suspense With unhinged imaginations and mountains of cliff-hangers, the filmmakers behind the sci-fi podcast Limetown have all the makings of a scary story. Arts & Culture Issue 19 Like Clockwork In this new column about time, we learn how slipping off our watches makes us feel like deadline-damning renegades. Fashion Issue 19 The Heat of the Moment Wide eyes, tense muscles, goose-bumped skin and sweat-dotted brows. Fashion Issue 19 This Tall to Ride Amusement parks offer us a taste of danger as sweet as cotton candy.
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