11 October 2026
My process book.
About a week ago, I finally received my process book, documenting the images and work behind this summer’s photographic poem along the Ume River.
Against the Cheek of the Inner Landscape, I Stretch My Silent Breaths Towards Our Temporary Escape Through the Soil (2026 –)
Landscape is not only something we encounter when we step outside our front door; it is also present within our homes. It occupies our windows, our memories, and our everyday movements between rooms and routines.
Each scene becomes an act of its own, a distinct way of seeing how a sense of security, memory, and everyday life can move from the private and personal into the public realm.
The book documents and brings together the process behind the construction of the photographic scenes. It is not an account of how to build a house, but rather an exploration of how we come to understand the significance of home and landscape in uncertain times.
Linen-bound
152 × 229 mm
273 pages
Here a short video of the book can be found.
8 October 2026
On photography, teaching, and learning to see.
Earlier this week, I started my evening course in photography at ÖKKV in Örnsköldsvik. I’ve been looking forward to this. There’s something special about creating a space where people can come together around photography without the pressure of having to achieve something specific. A place where curiosity can lead the way, where everyone brings their own experiences and perspectives, and where we can explore what it means to work with images.
Seven participants have signed up for the course, which will run over five sessions. For me, one of the biggest challenges is finding the right balance between sharing what I know and giving people enough room to discover things for themselves. I want to offer references, ideas, and ways of thinking about photography, but I also want to avoid filling every moment with information. Sometimes, the most important thing is to leave space for a question, a conversation, or simply the time to look.
Preparing for the course has made me reflect on my own relationship with photography. In the evenings, I’ve found myself sitting at home, going back to the assignments I’ve given the participants and trying to imagine how I would approach them if I were in their position. What would I see? Where might I get stuck? What could make me look at something differently?
I find this part of teaching particularly rewarding. It forces me to step outside my own habits and reconsider things I might otherwise take for granted. And it reminds me that teaching isn’t just about passing on knowledge. It’s also about being open to what happens when different people meet around the same subject.
During these five sessions, I want to bring together photographic history, contemporary image culture, and references from my own practice. We’ll talk about photography as a language, as communication, and as a way of understanding the world, but also about the image itself and what happens when we take the time to really look.
Ultimately, I hope the course will help everyone develop their own way of seeing and find new directions in their photographic practice. And perhaps that’s one of the things I appreciate most about photography: that no matter how long you’ve been working with it, there is always something more to discover. A different perspective, an unexpected conversation, or a way of seeing something you thought you already knew.
I’m looking forward to these evenings, to the images and discussions that will emerge, and to learning alongside the participants. Because even when you’re the one standing in front of the room, you’re never quite finished being a student yourself.
5 Ocotober 2026
24 Hours in Skellefteå
I’m spending 24 hours in Skellefteå for a portfolio presentation with Statens konstråd (Public Art Agency Sweden). I’m really looking forward to sharing what I’ve been working on lately with a group of curators and art buyers. At the same time, moments like these make me stop and think about my own practice, how I present it, and what I actually want to communicate through my work.
Preparing for a presentation like this takes quite a bit of time and reflection. When you only have a limited amount of time to share your work, you want to make every minute count. How do I bring different projects together? What do I want people to take away from the presentation? And how can I give a sense of both the work itself and the thoughts and processes behind it?
This time, I’ll be showing parts of a project I worked on this summer, along with my book, which has finally arrived. I’ll share more about the book in a separate post soon, but I have to say that it feels special to finally hold it in my hands and see my process take shape in a physical form.
For me, the book is more than just a collection of images. It’s a way of bringing together the things I’m curious about, the questions I keep returning to, and the different directions my practice takes. It also gives me a chance to step back and look at my work as a whole, which isn’t always easy when you’re in the middle of making it.
I’m happy to have this opportunity to share my work, reflect on where I am right now, and hopefully open up some new conversations along the way.
19 September 2026
Between Routines and Everyday Life
There is a lot happening in my working life at the moment, both as director at ÖKKV and at Umeå Academy of Fine Arts , where I work as a photography teacher but now also some communication. Much of my time outside work is also spent travelling from one place to another.
But sometimes, it is important to pause. To take the opportunity to look around, to observe, to take things in, and to focus. So I have set myself a small personal task: to take one sketch photograph every day and build a sketchbook, one image at a time.
Not because the sketchbook needs to become anything in particular, but simply as a way of letting my gaze rest, while remaining in an ongoing conversation with what I see and encounter. There is something meaningful in allowing yourself to stop at least once a day. To take a photograph, reflect on the world around you, and make space for your own practice, even when other responsibilities take up most of your time.
Link to the open sketchbook
17 September 2026
Time for contact sheets!
A little over a month ago, I was working on the construction of Scene 9 and its outdoor façade for my photographic poem. Since then, the project has continued to grow, slowly but steadily, finding its way forward somewhere between work, everyday life, and everything else that needs my attention.
Almost two weeks ago, I finally sent my process book, now over 270 pages long, off to the printer. Earlier this week, I began making contact sheets of all the photographs from the 14 scenes I worked on this summer.
And today, I finally got to start printing the contact sheets in A4 format, bringing all the scenes together on paper. The project now also has a working title:
“Against the cheek of the inner landscape, I stretch my silent breaths towards our temporary escape through the soil.”
Eventually, I want each part of the photographic poem to have its own title. But before that, I’m entering one of the more challenging stages of the process: reducing each scene to an initial selection of six to eight photographs.
I already have a fairly clear feeling for which images I want to keep, but I’ve been looking forward to this moment of being able to sit down with the photographs in a physical form. There is something different about seeing the images printed, spreading them out, moving them around, and spending time with them away from the screen.
This is the most extensive photographic sequence I’ve worked on so far, and I think I need that physical encounter to begin understanding how everything might come together. To see the connections between the scenes, to discover their rhythms, and to get a sense of the whole rather than just the individual images.
So much of the work happens quietly, over time, in small steps that might not seem like much on their own. But today felt like a small milestone, a moment when something that has been taking shape in my mind for months started to become a little more tangible.
Now the selection process begins in earnest. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, and I’m curious to see what emerges as I begin to let some images go and give others the space they need.
11 September 2026
House_flow and a new exhibtion in Stockholm
I have spent a lot of time talking about my project this summer, but along the way I also came into contact with two wonderful people whose work opened up the possibility of a collaboration.
They were artists undertaking an artistic residency nearby at Umeå Arts Campus Research Center, where they were developing house_Flow, a collaborative visual research project initiated by Tonia Carless. The project investigates the widespread practice and phenomenon of moving houses in Sweden, documenting more than 400 house moves carried out by house mover Magnus Mårtensson. Through this material, they explore the spatial, material, and political implications of buildings in motion, while proposing house-moving as an architectural practice rooted in ideas of de-growth, circular economies, changing landscapes, and the possibility that buildings carry a latent energy and capacity to move.
During their residency, they presented their research and work to me. There was an immediate sense of recognition between our practices, particularly in the way we both approach the relationship between houses, landscapes, movement, fiction, and reality. That encounter later led to an invitation to take part in their exhibition in Stockholm.The exhibition brings together two scenes in a state of destabilisation, entering the space between the ground and the underside of a house in the moment of detachment, and the shifted perspective that reveals the illusion of the staged scene. It explores grounding and detachment, the changing landscape, the relationship between the built environment and the terrain, lost histories, and the sense of home.
These questions resonate closely with my own practice. In my work, I have been interested in the boundaries between home and landscape, fiction and reality, illusion and presence. Through photographic stagings and installations, I use scenography as a method for creating temporary spaces — spaces where the private and the public, the constructed and the lived, begin to overlap.
One of the most interesting parts of this collaboration has been seeing how the remains of my project could become material for another artistic investigation. Different casts in wax and silicone were made directly on the site where my set had stood during the summer. The place where one constructed scene had existed became the starting point for new traces and another way of looking at the site.
There is something fascinating in that shift — one project giving way to another, and the physical remains of a temporary construction becoming part of a broader conversation about buildings, movement, landscape, and home.
It is still too early to know exactly where this collaboration will lead, but I am very curious to see what it might develop into. For now, it feels meaningful to be part of their exhibition and of a larger artistic research project that grew, quite unexpectedly, out of the work I was doing this summer.
The exhibition is curated by Sonja Lindgren.
You can read more about house_Flow and the project on their website.
9 September 2026
More than 270 pages
Throughout the project, which I carried out this summer, I often paused to photograph and document the process. Partly so that I could return to the material at a later stage — to remember how I approached certain problems, how I found solutions, and simply to see how things looked along the way.
Somewhere within that process, the idea of making a process book was born.
A book that follows the project step by step. Not as a manual for how to construct a structure or build a set resembling a house or fragments of a home, but rather as a visual document of the journey itself.
For me, it became important to create something that could exist alongside the final photographs — a kind of visual archive that I can return to, but also something that makes it easier to introduce the project to people who have not been part of the process.
Over the past few days, I have been working on the book, which has grown to more than 270 pages. Different spreads bring together selected images and fragments from the process, creating a visual trail through the work.
It feels exciting to finally have the time to immerse myself in this material, to look more closely at the details, the decisions, the changes, and all the small moments that would otherwise disappear once the work is finished.
The book has now finally been ordered.
I am looking forward to holding it in my hands, feeling the paper, and experiencing the project in this new form with its beautiful linen cover.
30 August 2026
An intense period is over
After the final shoot, I took my time dismantling the entire set and structure. Slowly taking apart what had been built up over a long period of time, layer by layer, and returning the space to its usual state.
It has been an intense period of work. Completing all the planned photographs has been demanding, physically. The body has been very much a part of the process, in a very tangible way. So now, being at the point where the construction is finished, everything has been taken down, and the work is about to move into another phase feels especially good.
I often need this pause between constructing a world and beginning to see it through the photographs. A space in between, where the work is allowed to settle before I return to the material.
This time, I am facing a much larger body of images than I would normally work with. It means that the process ahead will be slower. To look through, return to, eliminate, and gradually find the images I am searching for. But also to understand which photographs, together, can hold and reinforce the parts of the project that are most important to me.
27 August 2026
Photographic Poem #14 / 14
Now I'm there.Relieved, grateful, and perhaps a little proud to have finally reached the finish line with the last staging and the final scene.
Fourteen photographic scenes, fourteen different sets, and twenty-two days of preparation, construction, photography, patience, and quite a lot of determination. In the end, the weather was actually on my side as well.
The past few weeks have involved many hours of building and preparation, which made it especially rewarding to conclude the project with a final scene bathed in magnificent late-summer light. It was by far one of the coldest photo sessions of the year for both hands and feet, but above all it was an intense process of small adjustments and fine-tuning, striving to capture that perfect light right up to the very last moment.
It is probably only now, with all the sets built and all the photographs taken, that I can truly see the project's full rollercoaster of ups and downs. And the truth is that roughly 60% of the work still remains. Yet that honestly just feels exciting.
I am also incredibly grateful for all the encounters along the way. To everyone who has walked by, stopped, asked questions, been curious, and taken the time to talk with me during these past weeks. Being able to share the sets and the process with you has made this project feel even more alive, and it has made the work ahead both enjoyable and deeply meaningful.
Now the next stage awaits, taking everything down, returning the scaffolding, sorting the screws... and perhaps, just perhaps, enjoying a few mornings of sleeping in over the next few days.
25 August 2026
Photographic Poem #13 / 14
The penultimate piece of the puzzle is now in place!
Early yesterday morning, I photographed the second-to-last staging of my photographic poem in truly magical morning light, slowly drifting along Öbacka and the Ume River.
The journey to this point has been anything but straightforward. The day before involved one of the project's longest and most complex preparation sessions, with challenging work surrounding three exterior windows and a wind that seemed determined to test both my patience and every last detail. But I have to say that I have been fortunate. The weather has been on my side over the past ten days, and I am actually right on schedule.
That provides an extra boost when the finish line still feels far away and you find yourself focused on small details that, in the end, you hope will make a significant difference to the final result.
It has been fascinating to see how people respond to what I am doing. During the weekdays, I notice people observing from a distance, stopping their bicycles or slowing their pace while exercising. But on weekends, you stop, come closer, ask questions, and share your curiosity.
Now I am preparing for the final push and the last scene before the building permit expires at the end of the week, when I will need to dismantle everything and transport the materials away. After that, a few hours of sorting screws also await me... but I'm trying not to think about that just yet!
23 August 2026
Photographic Poem #11-12 / 14
Photographic Poem #11-12 / 14
A gentle mist hung over the river this morning. The light was favorable, providing the time and conditions needed to photograph both Staging No. 11 and No. 12 before the end of the day.
My feet search for structure, a temporary position and direction. I try to follow each tuft of grass and the way it leans before it disappears into the green expanse surrounding me as I take my steps. The windows offered two different outward and inward views, prompting several passersby to stop, reflect, and share their thoughts. One person even offered the use of their balcony to provide a new perspective. There is a wonderful curiosity in these recurring encounters. Those of us who meet at the same time every morning now greet one another with increasingly knowing nods along the riverbank.
The man who spent the first five days shaking his head, however, seems to have changed his walking route, perhaps to avoid seeing that temporary figure building a never-finished set, photographing with a beeping camera, and making noise with worn-out screwdriver bits.
Now only two scenes remain. The most complicated ones. Several paintings and windows still need to be prepared and cut into place. Precision will be put to the test, but the determination to bring the entire construction to a close with flying colors remains at the very top of the list.
21 August 2026
Photographic Poem #10 / 14
A day of scenography.
People stopping to watch, stepping right into the frame in the middle of a photoshoot, and long conversations with returning visitors who keep asking deeper and deeper questions.
Then someone came up and remarked that I seem to be at the site around the clock. Before the person had time to turn away, I raised my voice and replied: When you have a job and a project that truly matter, you make sure to see them through to the end. I got no response.
Then it was back to patience. Capturing the light, searching for the patches of sunlight filtering through the nearby birch tree. Waiting, preserving, capturing. The number of completed scenes has finally reached double digits.
The plan continues. It is a privilege to spend hour after hour preparing in the late-summer warmth, even when that means taming the wind and reading the direction of the clouds in anticipation of the next opening.
20 August 2026
Photographic Poem #9 / 14
The morning began with restoring the exterior cladding and preparing for the day's new window and view. It takes quite a bit of problem-solving to keep the structure intact while making things as smooth as possible for future openings. You have to think one step ahead to avoid creating extra work for yourself.
Once the window had been cut out, a new green egg-oil tempera painting was able to meet daylight for the very first time. In fact, this is only the second time I have ever woven painting directly into a scene (the first time was as recently as yesterday!).
The hours really do fly by in the sunshine, and all the hard work eventually comes together in an intense photoshoot lasting barely 30 minutes. But what a feeling when everything falls into place! I'm getting close to the finish line now. Soon I'll actually be able to count the remaining scenes on one hand.
Tomorrow brings another early morning of sealing up the current opening and setting up the next window... or perhaps it will be an entire scene with three windows? To be continued!
18 August 2026
Photographic Poem #8 / 14
A few days later than planned, due to weather conditions and various construction-related circumstances, the staging of Poem No. 8 could only be photographed this evening.
Sometimes it feels important not to force each staging, but instead to work through every scene carefully and create the best possible conditions for each photographic composition. It is easy to find yourself thinking that this project will soon be finished, even though six scenes still remain. However, it feels very important to stay calm and focus on one scene at a time.
The beautiful late-summer light, combined with a pleasant breeze, made the many hours spent over the past few days working hard on the exterior cladding and the roof feel completely worthwhile. The weather forecast promises good conditions until the building permit expires, so I am now setting my sights on the next two scenes tomorrow. Then we'll see whether I manage to finish everything or not.
15 August 2026
Photographic Poem #7 / 14
Yesterday’s torrential rain made for one of the most challenging scenes so far. After an early morning spent putting the final details in place, the heavens opened — again! But with a makeshift roof of scaffolding and plastic over the camera, I managed to pull it off, much to the constant amusement of passersby as I ran back and forth with the self-timer and camera.
Then the weather changed completely! Brilliant sunshine and, finally, time to start working on the façade. It feels so good to be working with dry timber and to see how quickly things are taking shape. I’m halfway there now!
Tomorrow, I’ll continue with the cladding, battens, and preparations for the roof.
13 August 2026
Photographic Poem #5-6 / 14
Less wind and an even layer of cloud finally allowed me to catch up with the project schedule. That meant I had time to build and photograph two completely different scenes for the poem. It’s a great relief, of course, to be back on track with the tight schedule, but above all, it was a pleasure to be able to work in much better conditions.
The white scene is a key component of the series, where the shifting shades of white against the surroundings play a crucial role. It takes that muted autumn light for the tones to truly come into their own.
Tomorrow brings a new weather forecast and one final scene before it’s time to tackle the house façade and extend the construction by 120 cm in height.
12 August 2026
Photographic Poem #4 / 14
After some early preparations, it was time for the largest window scene in the entire project. The weather delivered perfection: sunshine during the shoot, and a rain shower only after everything was finished!
It was a day filled with wonderful feedback. Hearing all the interesting thoughts and perspectives from passersby about the view through the window gives me so much energy. It’s especially fun to see familiar faces returning to follow the construction of the set up close!
Now there are three more scenes with the indoor interiors before I need to step things up even further and tackle the exterior cladding and gutters.
10 poems left until the finish line!
11 August 2026
Photographic Poem #3 / 14
After yesterday’s reworking of the framework in torrential rain, today it was time to prepare and photograph scene number 3 — The Blue Scene.
The wind put up quite a fight today, tearing at the set and the pelargoniums. For a while, it was genuinely nerve-racking to see whether the ground screws would hold, but the structure stood firm without any supports or an extra wall! A huge relief.
Tomorrow starts early, with painting, construction, and photography for scene number 4. Even though the road to the finish line is long and it can feel like a struggle at times, all the encouraging words from people passing by give me a tremendous boost of energy.
And being able to work right next to the river, with a view that is constantly changing, makes every hour of work a little easier.
9 August 2026
Photographic Poem #2 / 14
From early morning until after sunset. Today’s work is one of the most time-consuming tasks in the project: three windows, complete with all their mouldings, in a headwind that only grew stronger as the day went on.
I knew from the start that there would be days when everything feels like a struggle and takes its toll. But all you can do is work your way through every phase and every setback. Just as the final touches were made and the scaffolding was rolled back in, the wind died down and a light rain began to fall.
Tomorrow’s schedule calls for restructuring the framework — in the rain, according to the forecast.
8 August 2026
Photographic Poem 1#/14
Photographic Poem #1 / 14.
Early last winter, I planned the first staging and wished for a good start. The wind did its best to test my patience, but with mouldings, baseboards, and a box full of screws for company, I was joined by many curious onlookers. Now the first scene is done and dusted.
This is only the beginning. Tomorrow morning, the next one begins.
4 August 2026
Finally the start of construction!
Today was finally the start of construction for my major project at Öbacka in Umeå! Everything went smoothly, and the timber frame that will support the 14 different set designs for my photographic poem is now anchored and in place.
I was a bit worried beforehand about how difficult it would be to get the ground screws down to the right depth and whether the structure would be stable enough against the wind. So it feels like a huge relief to check off this step and move forward in the process. Now ahead lie several weeks of intensive work—likely in somewhat more challenging weather than today's!
2 August 2026
Final preparations before construction begins!
Now I'm back on home and can finally pick up the project where I left off a few weeks ago. Today I bought both the ground screws for the structure and other materials required to put together the timber frame on Tuesday next week. I’ve also spent time painting and working out a schedule for photographing the 14 different photographic poems.
I can see now that there is a lot of work ahead of me, and I hope the weather is on my side when it comes to installing the frame. It involves quite a few steps including earth drilling as well as on-site problem solving to get it properly in place. Still, it feels reasonably under control; I have the necessary skills and have set up the best possible conditions to reach this next milestone on Tuesday. To be continued with a mix of nervousness, but also deep joy in seeing these plans come to life!
29 July 2026
Soon home again!
Thank you to everyone who attended yesterday’s opening and artist talk. It was a real pleasure showing you the project and sharing my thoughts and ideas from the past few weeks. The conversation was recorded and led by journalist Malin Palmquist. Hopefully, this exciting and insightful talk will be posted sometime soon.
I have now said goodbye to Östersund and am on my way home after nearly a month on the road. It feels great to finally be heading back, as there’s a lot of work to be done on my project before construction begins on August 4th, along with several preparations and meetings that need to be arranged before then. It feels a bit like I’ll be back to square one, but I know I’ve also done a lot of groundwork on the side during the trip. Hopefully, all those hours spent planning on the road will pay off once I get home and keep moving the project forward!
25 July 2026
Processing Landscapes #2
Welcome to an exhibition, artist talk, and workshop at Östersund Old Church.
Processing Landscapes #2 presents artistic projects developed during a four-week residency at Surnadal Billag Kunstsenter, Norway. The exhibition brings together five artistic practices exploring landscape through photography, video, installation, and participatory processes.
Programme Exhibition 28–30 July,
11:00am–3:00pmOpening & Artist Talk 28 July, 1:00–2:00pm
Workshop 29–30 July, 1:00–3:00pm
Artists
Gustav Hellberg (Goheung, South Korea) Borahm Kim (Seoul, South Korea) Yujin Kim (Seoul, South Korea) Peter Stridsberg (Umeå, Sweden) Linda Petersson Ödbring (Östersund, Sweden)Workshop
Together with Institutet and Raketa, we invite visitors to participate in an open workshop where collected plant materials will be woven together. The workshop is free of charge and open to all ages.
25 July 2026
Östersund next stop!
The other day we returned to Sweden, Östersund this time. It feels a bit strange to be here as it’s a place I’ve never visited before, yet several of my photographic works from recent years are hanging in various public spaces here.
We are holding an exhibition here featuring our work from Norway, and I will be showing the same work, but this time in a different space—we’re actually exhibiting in Östersund's Old Church (Östersunds gamla kyrka). While the venue presents a lot of limitations, it also feels special to exhibit in a room so open to reflection and connection in different ways. It’s wonderful that our project and processes get to be part of this context.
20 July 2026
More info soon..
Here is a quick photo from the opening of my installation "Memory Horizons" (Minneshorisonter), with more photos and descriptive text coming soon. It was wonderful to see people interact with my work, and I am very pleased with how the presentation turned out. Working with painting in this way and on this scale was such a fun experience.
20 July 2026
Thank You Norway!
After a few intense and absolutely fantastic weeks in Surnadalsøra, I am leaving Norway filled with new inspiration, memories, and wonderful encounters. Having the opportunity to explore and create in a new place alongside the international group of artists In Process of the Landscape has been a true privilege.
A huge thank you to my fellow artists Linda Petersson Ödbring, Borahm Kim, Yujin Kim and Gustav hellberg. And a warm thank you to Jon Arne Mogstad and Cecilie Nissen at Surnadal Billag for your fantastic hospitality. You truly welcomed us with open arms. Thank you also to everyone who came to our exhibition!
Plenty of materials, a few artworks, and photos from the residency will be uploaded to the website soon, once I’ve recovered from this memorable trip.
Now it’s off to the Swedish mountains for a few days of field studies before the next joint exhibition, Processing of Landscape #2, opens in Östersund next week!
More images from the aventure in Norge here
18 July 2026
Opening of Processing Landscapes #1
Welcome to the opening of Processing Landscapes, an ongoing international artistic collaboration exploring the landscape as a collectively coexisting, ecological, and philosophical platform. The project stems from a shared desire to explore place through individual artistic processes shaped and developed through dialogue, geographical movement, and collective work.
The collaboration began during the exhibition Mediated Process at Cullity Gallery in Perth, where three of the artists met for the first time for a deeper artistic exchange. Shortly after, the group expanded, and today Processing Landscapesconsists of five artists:
Throughout July, four of the five artists have lived and worked together on a residency with us at Surnadal Billag Art Center. The exhibition shows the result of this process, featuring works in painting, photography, installation, text, and video that reflect the artists' different approaches to landscape as memory, belonging, and experience.
Processing Landscapes is part of the three-year project Site Stories from Surnadal (Stedsfortellinger fra Surnadal), belonging to the track focusing on the region's waterways the rivers and streams that have historically shaped agriculture, industry, and energy in Surnadal.
The project is part of Surnadal Billag's Site Stories project and is supported by Arts Council Norway, SpareBank 1 Nordmøre, Region Jämtland Härjedalen, Nordic Culture Point, the Helge Ax:son Johnson Foundation, the Längmanska Culture Foundation, JLK Jämtland County Art Association, Storsjöyran, and the Church of Sweden.
Join us, bring someone along, and experience the landscape through five distinct artistic perspectives!
17 July 2026
On my legs again
The deadline is fast approaching, and our exhibition opens this Saturday, which means I have to finish my painting. It’s a race against the clock due to some unforeseen circumstances, but I am back on my feet today and slowly recovering from a muscle inflammation I developed a couple of days ago. It forced me to pay a visit to the Norwegian healthcare system to get painkillers for the severe pain, leaving me stuck spending the day resting on the bed and couch in the guest apartment, trying to get around on crutches.
15 July 2026
The wihte cube
I decided very early on that I wanted to set up my installation in the white cube at the art center. This was partly to use good lighting to create an immersive effect where you feel enclosed by the installation, but also because it allows the brushstrokes and the painting itself to be highlighted in a subtle way without the surrounding environment taking over.
A fair amount of prep work is required to prepare the room so that it can accommodate both my piece and Gustav's video work.
13 July 2026
Exhibtion plans
Work is in full swing for all of us artists on site, as well as for Gustav, who is currently in South Korea. Today, we began planning the exhibition by discussing and sharing our thoughts and ideas regarding our different works. It feels like it is going to be a wonderful exhibition, and it's exciting that we all have space to spread out. This allows us to create a slightly different kind of show one where visitors can wander through the building and encounter our various works and processes in different spaces.
I personally find it quite engaging to see exhibitions that leave a bit of breathing room between the pieces. It creates opportunities to step into distinct zones and environments where the artwork and physical space interact, contributing to a more intimate and open experience without feeling too overwhelming.
11 July 2026
Painting in langre scale
I have now begun working on my installation, which will consist of a painterly installation on cotton fabric measuring approximately 9.5 x 1.6 meters. The color palette I have chosen to work with consists of colors that are abundant in the surrounding landscape: Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, and two different shades of green that create a nice balance against the intensity of the blue colors.
It feels a bit unfamiliar both to paint on such a scale and to work on the floor, which gives a different overview than what I am used to. However, there is plenty of time to finish the installation, which will be exhibited in a little over a week.
8 July 2026
24 hours in Trondheim
After a bit of rain, we decided to head to Trondheim, only to encounter even more rain. Still, it was very fun and exciting to visit current exhibitions in a city I was visiting for the first time. It was fun, if a bit unfamiliar, to suddenly see so many people, as everyday life in Surnadal usually means running into quite few people at the grocery store.
I managed to buy some materials for my project, which I will start working on once I get back to the studio. It feels inspiring to dive deeper and realize the sketches that have been on my mind since I arrived here a few days ago. I also feel this is a great opportunity to try making an installation inspired by the surroundings—one that can be showcased on a monumental scale in the art center's large spaces. It truly is a luxury to have the chance to scale up and not let the space be limiting, but rather set the boundaries myself.
4 July 2026
Field studies Innerdalen
Today, the field studies began with a trip to the fantastic Innerdalen. We walked into this amazing nature reserve. It was perfect hiking weather with just a light drizzle, making for a pleasant walk with plenty of opportunities to pause and take a closer look at nature. Immersing oneself in a landscape like this dotted with charming small cottages and huts with grass-covered roofs along the valley truly highlights how deeply nature and culture are interconnected, offering rich inspiration for how environment and heritage shape artistic expression.
3 July 2026
Exploration of the area
After our initial exploration of the area, we got to meet Jon Arne Mogstad, the artistic director of Surnadal Billag, we began exploring the surroundings by visiting various mountains and the local landscape. There is a lot to take in and process. It’s easy to be captivated by the landscape, which reminds me of places I saw in Iceland a few years ago. The proximity to fjords, steep cliffs, and mountain formations stretches along the various roads we travel.
This picture was taken in the area about 20 minutes from our apartment and the art center. What a luxury to have these surroundings for the coming weeks, and how fun to finally be out seeing and discovering the area together with the other artists.
2 July 2026
Arrival at Surnadal Billag
We have now arrived at our residency at Surnadal Billag, which will be our base for the next few weeks. Here, we will have the opportunity to work on a large and monumental scale, and later, towards the end of our stay, put together an exhibition.
It is always a bit nerve-wracking to go to a residency and create work based on the conditions of the location, but that is also what makes it so inspiring getting new angles and perspectives that can spark new ideas and thoughts about one's work. It is also a wonderful luxury to take a bit of a break from my other jobs and fully immerse myself in a place like this, alongside others who are also visiting for the first time.
1 July 2026
Artsit in residence in Norway
After a few weeks working on my ongoing construction project, I’m now swapping Sweden for Norway and heading off to an artist residency at Surnadalsøra in Norway. I’ve just made a layover in Åre, about 7 hours from home, before continuing the journey onwards to Norway. It’s going to be exciting to change environments and do an international exchange together with Swedish and South Korean artists. We're part of an artist group that is "In process of..." founded by Swedish artist Gustav Hellberg that now lives in South Korea.
Very happy to be invited to be part of this project and artist collective. We’ll be exploring and conducting various field studies in the landscape in both Norway and later Sweden.
26 June 2026
The space is now packed with heaps of timber of all kinds
The delivery I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived, the building materials are here! The space is now packed with heaps of timber of all kinds, alongside various boards and sheets that will soon transform into doors, window sills, and everything in between. It feels absolutely fantastic to finally reach this fun milestone. Construction is officially on the schedule. Let's do this!
Now, I can finally start measuring, sawing, and truly bringing this project into physical reality. This is the moment where the theoretical planning ends and the practical steps begin—the kind of hands-on work where you can’t pre-program every detail, but instead have to make concrete, real-time decisions on-site. Honestly, it makes me even more fired up to face these new challenges head-on and make this happen. It is going to demand a lot from me, but all the meticulous groundwork and planning have prepared me for this. From securing the right tools to sorting out the logistics, every single effort now is laying the foundation for a truly successful and striking final staging.
Time to start building!
24 June 2026
The waiting is finally over!
Tonight, the building permit officially came through! It is an incredible relief after months of waiting, planning, and navigating the process to finally have the green light for what I want to create this summer. I feel a massive weight lifted off my shoulders, but also a thrilling surge of excitement now that the project can begin in earnest.
While the meticulous preparation, blueprints, and paintings feel like I've already done five percent of the heavy lifting, the practical construction and sourcing of materials is where the project truly comes to life. Now, I can finally order the materials and get my hands dirty. Because of the long delay, the timeline leading up to the final deadline is much tighter, and I will be working right up to the last minute to make all the puzzle pieces fit. Yet, I just feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to bring this vision and project to life. Now, the real and fun work begins!
21 June 2026
Small step forward
While waiting on the permit, focusing on preparation and the paintings has been a great way to keep the project moving forward. In fact, this waiting period has given the artwork time to evolve, and the paintings are honestly getting better and better. Working with this specific pigment and technique is both thrilling and educational, and it is incredibly rewarding to weave them into my process where every small step forward truly makes a difference. The scale of the paintings is directly based on the window sizes of the upcoming scenographs, creating a direct dialogue between the two mediums.
They vary in size to bring depth and rhythm to the final exhibition space, ranging from the largest piece at 140 x 130 cm to the smallest at 50 x 60 cm. This variation across the cotton canvases will create a beautiful dynamic in the room, and I am learning so much from mixing these scales and formats together as the pieces fall into place.
20 June 2026
Keeping the Momentum:
Blueprints, Scale, and Precision While waiting for the permit approval for the new site, I’m making sure to keep the project moving forward every single day. Staying proactive now is essential, not only to ease the workload later, but to ensure everything is executed flawlessly.
Calculating Materials and Framing Right now, I am deep into the technical drawings and construction specs for the different parts of the structure. I’m calculating exact material quantities and mapping out architectural details, like the placement of window sills and frames, and how they will align with the surrounding trees and branches on-site. Scale vs. Reality This phase is all about precision. I’m looking closely at the scale and proportions to make sure my initial ideas translate perfectly into reality.
There will always be minor adjustments along the way, but these meticulous blueprints form the foundation of a smooth workflow ahead. It requires a lot of focused time to weigh decisions that might only become visible in the final photographic staging. When you're in the thick of building, the bigger picture isn't always obvious. That’s why working rigorously with scale and proportion is so vital it’s what makes the tension between fiction and reality feel completely believable.
8 June 2026
A New Site and New Heights!
Great news I’ve finally found a new location that feels right! The surroundings are beautiful, with lush greenery in the foreground, and the spot is perfectly nestled between the trees. Best of all, it safely navigates around those underground utility lines. The new site map has officially been submitted, and I’m crossing my fingers for the permit to come through soon.
Facing the Elements In the photo, you can see me holding up a measuring tape to mark the highest point of the planned structure—which will reach an impressive height (I'm anticipating around several meters!). While exciting, a structure of this scale comes with its own technical challenges, especially since this particular spot is highly exposed to the weather and strong winds. Preparing for Construction To tackle these elements safely, I'm already figuring out the best way to secure the structure. I’m currently looking into booking scaffolding and heavy-duty anchoring to make sure the build is both secure and manageable when the time comes. Step by step, the pieces are falling into place!
7 June 2026
Finding the Perfect Location ?
Working with site-specific art and set design always involves a bit of detective work. Right now, I’ve hit a few technical snags with my original location. It turns out there are water and power lines running through the ground, making it very difficult to get the necessary permits. Activating Plan B Instead of dwelling on it, I’ve started scouting nearby locations. This means a lot of planning right now mapping things out and physically exploring the area to find a spot that works both artistically and logistically.
A Frustrating but Necessary Delay Unfortunately, this will delay the permit process a bit compared to my original timeline. While it's frustrating, it’s just part of the game when building in a public space. I’m taking it in stride. By doing the groundwork now and making these necessary compromises, I'm ensuring everything is fully prepared when it’s finally time to build. In the end, it will all come together!
5 June 2026
Light, Tempera and Ideology
The new project is officially underway! Right now, I’m diving into tempera. It’s incredibly exciting to explore how the unique character of this medium can reinforce the ideological themes I’m currently focusing on.
These new monochrome paintings will serve a dual purpose. They will form the visual foundation for my upcoming stage designs, but the plan is also to showcase them as standalone pieces in the exhibition space side by side with my photographic stagings.
Lately, I’ve been fascinated by the lighting. Tempera has a distinct, matte quality, and experimenting with how light hits the surfaces and transforms the space adds a thrilling new dimension to the entire project.
24 May 2026
Egg tempera paint
Today, I ordered canvas and egg tempera paint that I will use for ten paintings that will become part of the project with the 14 photographic poems. These paintings, made in egg tempera and in various sizes, will form part of the photographic scenes and the scenography itself. At the same time, the intention is that these works will also be included in the future exhibition, which requires a careful balancing act when it comes to finding the right shades and colors — tones that can function both within the physical setting of the scenes and in relation to my overall concept and idea for the project.
It feels exciting to be able to incorporate this technique and material into my process, but also to bring together elements within the image that will later reappear in the exhibition space itself. For me, this is an important part of my artistic development: continuously finding new strategies and approaches for how I can develop and use staging as a method in different ways. At the same time, I want to use painting as a foundation and as a tool for discussing concepts that I find important within the work.
The colors consist of seven different colours of egg tempera that will soon arrive, after which I will paint on to primed cutton canvas. This is work that I will carry out in parallel with the preparations for the scenography, which I hope to begin within the next two weeks.
It feels very exciting.
23 May 2026
Wating for permit..
As I write this, I am still waiting for approval of my building permit for my summer project. It is very frustrating to be waiting for permission to carry out the project this summer. At the same time, however, it gives me the time and opportunity to immerse myself in the details, which I may have mentioned previously.
Right now, I am spending a great deal of time planning how to structure a timeline, while also calculating how much material I will need to purchase. There are many details that will need to be decided and incorporated into the scenes — partly to ensure that the result is successful, but also to make it possible to build in a sustainable, ecological, and efficient way.
I will spend most of the summer building, which means that it is important to work strategically with a plan and to have something concrete to rely on. The 14 scenes are all different, but there are also similarities between them that make it advantageous not to have to buy entirely separate materials for everything. Still, there is a significant amount of material that needs to be ordered. This includes more than hundreds of meters of timber, all of which requires careful planning, as well as finding efficient and practical ways of transporting and organizing everything. As much as this project is about creating a successful build on site, it is also something that I need to be able to manage and carry out myself. That is where the difficult balance lies — understanding what should be delegated, what I am capable of doing on my own, and what I actually want to focus my energy on.
These considerations are among the most challenging aspects at this stage, where I am simply waiting to begin. In the meantime, I am trying to make the process manageable through sketches and other preparatory material, because I feel that this allows me to remain in an active process and continue moving the project forward, even if it sometimes feels distant while the formal approvals are still not in place. But as soon as the permits are approved, I hope to begin the work immediately, something I have been looking forward to for a very long time.
8 May 2026
Set design process
Over the past few weeks, I have continued working on my set pieces alongside my two positions, as director at ÖKKV and photography technician at the Umea Academy of Arts. At the moment, I am in the process of working on the front door that will be part of one of the scenes. It involves a great deal of fitting and adapting in trying to create a door from the door itself. I am currently working on the different parts involved in assembling both the handle and the lock so that they match the appearance of the intended door.
This is something that takes a great deal of time, but is also, in some way, very important when it comes to establishing the atmosphere of the image. Since this will be shown in the hallway, a straight-on image that perhaps does not reveal much in terms of detail, these details become all the more important in making the scene come together.
I have now gathered various secondary elements, including escutcheons, handles, and different turn knobs, in order to experiment and find the aesthetic I am looking for, but above all to ensure that they match the colors of the rest of the scene.
To be continued.
29 April 2026
Postcard Project
During the spring at Umeå Academy of Fine Arts, I have also been working extra on developing a postcard project together with the bachelor’s and master’s students at the academy. The project involved 25 students from both programs creating their own postcards to illustrate their work and artistic practice.
This is a project that I have managed from beginning to end, and as I write this, I am sitting here sorting the postcards, which will then be placed in a bag with an ISBN code, making it more of an artist’s book. It has been a very new and exciting project for both myself and everyone involved, and extremely educational as well. A great deal of thought and many ideas have gone into determining the format and size, as well as finding a layout, design, and graphic profile that matches the content.
It has been very rewarding to work together with the students and to be part of driving a project like this, something that in many ways extends beyond my regular position. At the same time, it has also been very time-consuming, as it has required extensive collection of material and project management in order to document and photograph the works. We have also gathered relevant information about the different works presented on the cards.
The postcards will be available for sale both at the bachelor’s exhibition, while the master’s students’ cards will be sold in the shop at the Bildmuseet in Umeå throughout the summer.
6 April 2026
Tile-inspired decor, bathroom
One of the scenographs in the upcoming projects will include tile-inspired decor meant to resemble ceramic tiles. This is the first time I'm daring to work with a detail like this, which will involve quite a few creative and challenging decisions along the way. The surface area is approximately 11 square meters, and I'm currently in the process of deciding what shade my fictional tiles should have.
To avoid the construction becoming too heavy, I'll be working with thin MDF and cutting out square "tile plates" that will be installed individually across the large wall sections.
28 March 2026
Color is on the agenda
Right now in the summer project, color is on the agenda. Both to find and explore the project's color scheme, I am examining and trying to find a color palette that aligns with the vision and plan I have. The important thing, in my opinion, is to find a color balance that suits all 14 scenes, but also to identify a common denominator that makes it easier to enhance the content of the images. I will be testing different color samples and experimenting with various materials to know which board material I will use to build the entire structure, while also finding different colors that can symbolize different parts of the poem.
As for the photographs of the poem, I am increasingly getting a clearer picture not only of my vision regarding what the images are about but also of the strategy I should have when working with the subject. Additionally, the colors provide me with the palette and the opportunity to tailor each scene more and more, scene by scene. This allows me to achieve both visual depth and find different types of starting points, making the overall project clearer. Therefore, the decision-making process regarding color is very important to me, as it influences what is ultimately visible.
This is also where I find inspiration in discovering colors that reference the content or concept of the images. It is crucial for me to experiment with them in different ways to ensure they provide what I want them to add. Of course, changes will occur over time, as different weather conditions affect colors in various ways. But it is at this stage, when the colors come to the forefront and I can test them more extensively, that I feel I have the tools to create and enable something that was previously just a sketch or an illusion.
19 March 2026
Building permits and police permits
Building permits and police permits to enable the opportunity to reshoot the scenography outdoors this summer. There are still many pieces left to fit into this puzzle, but I'm very glad to have reached this point where I at least have a foundation with sketches and dimensions, allowing me to more easily visualize and plan forward. Personally, this is sometimes a prerequisite when a project has this level of complexity, but also when it comes to making sound and sustainable decisions at each stage of the process.
This is something I value quite highly in my workflow, as I also want at this stage to be able to steer the project's angles toward a perspective that makes it easier to work with and manage the project—both when it comes to solving upcoming problems and also to find pathways that ensure the result becomes as I envision it.
11 March 2026
Window sills
An important part of the project, for example, are the windows and window sills that I've been working on and thinking about a lot lately. The boundary between indoors and outdoors. Partly how they will look in terms of shape or how they should look aesthetically. This has led me to reason a lot about how much space they should take up and how they should be visible, and whether they should differ from each other or not. The idea is also that parts of the material I'm showing, or parts of these sets I'm making, I should later be able to recycle in various ways for the upcoming exhibition. Which means I might have to think one step ahead, but still reason and figure out what I want and how I'll find ways to explore. Here, for example, is a draft when I looked at different types of stains and textures in the way I imagine the window sill should take. And if you calculate it, it might not seem like such a huge amount of work, but after all, there are over 20 window sills that need to be made for the different scenes in various sizes and be carefully planned in advance to get a sense of where you want to go and how it should look.
Another phase that I'm currently planning a lot is the colors, which colors I want to use in the images, meaning on the sets. I know that the same color will be used on half of the scenes, but for the other scenes I'm exploring daily, partly which colors I'm drawn to in reality, but also to find a color scale that balances with the image and the content of the scene setting. There's a lot to take into consideration, but also a lot to calculate and reason through to find ways that can also highlight the environment, the light, and the scenography together in a good way with the various planned and designed images.
1 March 2026
Sunday morning at the hardware store.
Early morning, Sunday morning at the hardware store. I'm starting to familiarize myself with the materials I'll be using. The thing is, when I sketch out my projects and sets, I look around quite a bit to figure out what kind of timber or materials I'll be working with. But it's also when I'm physically on site and can scout around for what I'm looking for—what dimensions and sizes I'll be using that I also clarify the visual plans. These images might be aesthetic choices, really, but they also affect the entire structure's load-bearing capacity.
After all, this project I've been formulating over the past few weeks is somehow something new for me. New in the sense that it's on a monumental scale. It's a project that will take time, yet has many components, and that's what I'm reasoning through right now. It will consist of a total of 14 scenographs. Sets that need to be constructed in different ways from the same starting point. Which requires very good structural strength, but it also requires a structure of getting to know the material I'll be using. But also finding ways for how it should stand stably on site while simultaneously withstanding any wind that might be present there.
1 March 2026
Fun news!
I received this lovely picture in my inbox the other day from Östersund, where my photographic work Ställas inför årsringar (2022) is now hanging in Östersund Municipality's newly renovated City Hall. Thanks to Kristina Strömgren for the photo! It's always fun to see one's work in beautiful environments and places in people's everyday lives.
20 February 2026
Contemplating and resoning
Lately, I have spent a lot of time contemplating and reasoning, as well as sketching and finding solutions to upcoming problems. In the major project I am currently tackling, there are many components that need to come together. I try to layer things step by step, making different decisions at the right moments while also seeking to stay at the forefront of opportunities to build and realize the project. It is very time-consuming, but it can also be quite rewarding to take the time to reflect on how things should look in advance. For me, this part of the process is somewhat monotonous, but sometimes one can allow oneself to dive deep into important details. Right now, I have been sketching the finalized colors I envision for the various components, and this is one of the sketches I currently have in front of me.
1 February 2026
A site visit
Today, I conducted a site visit to the location where I plan to work this summer. I realize already that there will be a lot of work ahead. However, there is also something valuable in being able to visit a site in advance, to reason about it, and to understand the conditions of the place. It's essential to consider the directions and functions of the site in this project. This involves thinking practically about how I can realize this project for myself, as well as finding ways to understand how I can create the best possible conditions for it to turn out as I envision.
It may seem abstract, but I find it quite obvious when it comes to working at full scale. Understanding the site's conditions and taking care of its characteristics are crucial. After all, it's in these components that I can create opportunities for my implementations to take place. While it may not have a massive impact on the site, it still requires logistical effort to execute and realize the project.
Moreover, by visiting the site, I can more easily come to terms with finding a work strategy that can also serve as a forward plan for what I should do next and what is important to include in the project. This is something I always experience when I visit the site. Even if I may have a location in mind when I start sketching out a project, it's during the site visit that the project truly begins to take shape. It’s there that I see what the site looks like, how it resonates with me, and what I want to highlight and bring to attention.
30 January 2026
Working in process
Right now, I’m doing a lot of sketching for my upcoming project, which I hope to realize during the summer. There are many practical aspects, as I’ve chosen to focus on breaking the project into smaller parts so that I can more easily structure all the elements that require significant work and project management. But it’s during the sketching phase that I can determine the scale and make decisions that will make it easier in the next step to decide on the amount of materials to purchase, as well as, of course, how everything should look aesthetically. There is a lot to consider, which is naturally a bit stressful, but it can also be quite rewarding at times, as it makes you pause and think through fundamental, well-considered decisions that also make things easier when it comes to aspects of realization that are beyond my control, such as obtaining permits from various authorities, since the construction is planned to take place outdoors.
11 January 2026
Art Duo Exhibition by
Peter & Rebecca
It has been intense days of exhibition work and snowstorms, but we are very happy about all of you who braved minus 25°C to attend yesterday’s opening at Apotekshuset, Sollefteå. There were many wonderful conversations, and it was a joy to present our artistic practices together for the first time. My and Rebecca’s duo exhibition The Evanescent Landscape runs until mid-March and follows Apotekshuset’s regular opening hours, which can be found on their website. You are warmly welcome!
3 January 2026
Explore The Evanescent Landscape – Opening soon
We are pleased to present the upcoming exhibition The Evanescent Landscape, opening in January at Apotekshuset in Sollefteå.The Evanescent Landscape is a collaborative exhibition by Peter Stridsberg and Rebecca Sharp, where two artistic practices come together to explore the landscape as both a physical place and an inner experience. Through photography, drawing, and sculpture, the artists depict the ever-changing states of nature a living archive of memory, time, vulnerability, and responsibility.
The exhibition features works that, through their thematic engagement with contemporary issues of ecology, place, and shared responsibility, as well as their visual and spatial clarity, invite slow reflection and can serve as lasting elements in environments where many people move and meet in everyday life. In a time marked by transition, political unrest, and ecological uncertainty, the exhibition offers a quiet yet hopeful vision, allowing questions of recovery, relationships, and faith in the future to take center stage.
The exhibition runs until March 14. You are warmly welcome!
1 January 2026
New year, new plans and a new upcoming exhibition
It’s been a while since I last updated the website about everything that has been happening in my artistic practice, mainly due to a lack of time. But here is a small personal update.
Since early December, I have been working as Acting Director at ÖKKV in Örnsköldsvik, where I am involved in leading and developing the organisation. It feels both meaningful and exciting to step into this role at a time when the association is moving towards new visions and changes.
Shortly before Christmas, I also received some very positive news: during the spring I will be part of a working group focused on artists’ entrepreneurship and professional practice in Umeå Municipality. It feels great to take on additional assignments alongside my own artistic work. At the same time, I continue my teaching in photography at Umeå Academy of Fine Arts.
Over the Christmas holidays, I took the first steps in a new project that I will be working on intensively going forward. It is a project that will require a great deal of construction and physical labour, which makes it especially nice to be able to balance it with other kinds of work.
Soon I will also be sharing news about an upcoming exhibition that I am doing together with Rebecca Sharp at Apotekshuset in Sollefteå. More information coming soon.