Galerie XII | 'The Blow' & 'The Rider Vol. 1': Anja Niemi

Niemi always works alone. By placing herself within her own meticulous tableaux, she constructs fictional stories where she is both the author and the character. In her work, Niemi appeals to ideas that are innate to the human condition, rather than being confined to a personal mediation. Whilst her poetic narratives are wholly imagined, they act as an intimate space to catalyze real conversations about identity, conformity, and the relationship we have with ourselves.

At first glance, Anja Niemi’s new work shows an unaccompanied woman dressed in black, with a face that is always turned. She drives to a solitary house in the desert and trades her clothes for those of a boxer. Niemi chooses boxing paraphernalia to accompany her setting to build the idea that each photograph is a site of mental training and introspective battle. As with all of Niemi’s work, the narratives she constructs and then performs in as both author and character simultaneously, act as allegorical amplifiers to conversations that lie beneath.

In one photograph, boxing gloves sit on the concrete floor just outside the bedroom with nothing but the parched land beyond. Even without hands for them to clothe, and so close to a space of comfort and safety, they are present as the agents of rejection, denial, societal pressure, anxiety, and the countless number of conflicts we wrestle with as humans. Even when we are not directly contending with our rivals, we can always feel the residue of the past, as well as the anticipation of events which will force us to pick up the gloves once more.

These everyday scenes are placed next to louder examples of Niemi’s extended metaphor. Now with the gloves on, an Airstream trailer and a quintessential boxing ring are the arenas where Niemi’s character f ights unseen opponents as well as another version of herself. Who wins when we are fighting ourselves? The ideas of winning and losing seem, however, less relevant here. Instead, the photographs speak of a need to f ight on, an ode to picking yourself back up after being put down by others, or even by yourself.

Concealment is an idea that is prevalent in The Blow and in Niemi’s practice as a whole. It is essential that here, the woman’s face is never entirely revealed. By removing specific identities, Niemi orchestrates the dismantling of herself as a singular identity, and the work becomes a vessel for universal ideas we can all relate to. The Blow offers us time and space to reflect upon ourselves and reminds us that even if the conflicts of life can lead to bruises, it is important that we always stand back up.

The Rider Vol. 1 is an ideological progression from Anja Niemi's previous series The Blow (2019). In her latest series, Niemi recreates her character's struggle in the form of a rider and her horse. Trust and the will to understand each other are essential to their mutual bond. In good times they are one, connected in trust and respect. They are on an openended journey, a journey that requires perseverance with the suspension of fear. A jodhpur trapped in a stirrup, with its leather strap tangled and hanging in thin air, hints to events of the past. Reminding us of the traumas that haunt us. The Rider Vol. 1 is about the freedom found in progress and the ability to displace fear even if it’s temporary.

The exhibition is a declaration of love, for the creatures the artist simultaneously fears and adores.

"When creating The Rider Vol. 1, I had to change almost everything about the way I worked. Horses are willful and fast, and I wanted to photograph them on their terms without being too dominating or forceful. I could no longer be as repetitive and meticulous as I usually am, but what I got in return was really rewarding. I ended up spending my summer in the meadow, inviting the horses to roam freely in and out of my frame. I introduced them slowly to the black and white fabric I hung between the trees, inviting them to join me but letting them go when needed. Towards the end of the summer, one of the horses willfully stands on the white fabric, resting his head on my shoulder. I can feel his weight as if he is almost asleep. I remember thinking what a huge honor it was that he trusted me so much and realized how far we had come.” - Anja Niemi

Anja Niemi (b. 1976, Norway) studied at Parsons School of Design in New York and has exhibited in galleries worldwide. Four monographs of her work have been published and her images are part of various public and private collections. Recent museum exhibitions include Fotografiska (Stockholm and Tallinn), MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon), Des Moines Art Center (Iowa), and Figge Art Museum (Davenport).