• The images portray two women photographed together in displays of conflict or simply in each others' company, whether in agony or comfort.

    In the series Darlene & Me, Norwegian photographer Anja Niemi inhabits a house in the California desert, in which she explores the fictional character Darlene. Niemi continues to function as the photographer, subject and director of her images, aiming as always for absolute control. The images portray two women photographed together in displays of conflict or simply in each others' company, whether in agony or comfort. The two are, of course, one and the same person telling the story of a woman's complex relationship with herself.

    • Anja Niemi, The Backyard, 2014
      Anja Niemi, The Backyard, 2014
      Enquire
    • Anja Niemi, The Desert, 2014
      Anja Niemi, The Desert, 2014
      Enquire
    • Anja Niemi, The Chrysler, 2014
      Anja Niemi, The Chrysler, 2014
      Enquire
    • Anja Niemi, The Desert House, 2014
      Anja Niemi, The Desert House, 2014
      Enquire
    • Anja Niemi, The Garden Hose , 2014
      Anja Niemi, The Garden Hose , 2014
      Enquire
    • Anja Niemi, The Pool House, 2014
      Anja Niemi, The Pool House, 2014
      Enquire
    • Anja Niemi, The Swimming Pool, 2014
      Anja Niemi, The Swimming Pool, 2014
      Enquire
    • Anja Niemi, The Terrace, 2014
      Anja Niemi, The Terrace, 2014
      Enquire
    • Anja Niemi, The Trunk, 2014
      Anja Niemi, The Trunk, 2014
      Enquire
  • For more information on available edtions and prices, please contact the gallery via email at info@theravestijngallery.com
  • Anja Niemi (b. 1976, Norway) always works alone; placing herself within her own meticulous tableaux, she constructs fictional stories where...
    Anja Niemi (b. 1976, Norway) always works alone; placing herself within her own meticulous tableaux, she constructs fictional stories where she is both the author and the character. 
    In Darlene & Me (2014), Niemi plays the parts of two identical women living against the backdrop of a sparse, bleached house in the desert. The dualism in each performative photograph speaks clearly of the internal, and often opposing, voices we are all so attune with. In this way, as with all of her work, Niemi appeals to ideas that are innate to the human condition, rather than being confined to a personal mediation. And whilst her poetic narratives are wholly imagined (although frequently inspired by film and literature), they act as an intimate space to catalyse real conversations about identity, conformity and the relationship we have with ourselves.
     
    Anja Niemi studied at the London College of Printing in Paris and Parsons School of Design in New York and has exhibited in galleries worldwide. Four monographs of her work have been published, Short Stories (Jane & Jeremy, 2016), The Woman Who Never Existed (Jane & Jeremy, 2017), She Could Have Been A Cowboy (Jane & Jeremy, 2018) and In Character (Thames & Hudson, 2019). Recent museum exhibitions include Fotografiska (Stockholm and Talinn), MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon) and Des Moines Art Center (Iowa). Her work is part of various public and private collections.