• The Rider Vol. 1 is a declaration of love, for the creatures the artist simultaneously fears and adores.

    A woman stands turned away from us,  dressed in classic black dressage pants - hair gently gathered under her helmet by a hairnet. The sleeves of her white blouse are rolled up, torso slightly arched, shoulders together. Her leather riding boots are securely grounded beneath her, preparing to confront the dark void ahead. 

    The Rider Vol. 1 is an ideological progression from Anja Niemi's previous series The Blow (2019), in which a female boxer has the lead role. The Blow is an allegory for struggle, and the countless number of conflicts we as humans wrestle with. As with all of Niemi’s work, the narratives she constructs and then performs act as allegorical amplifiers to the conversations that lie beneath.

     

    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 open-ended journey,  a journey that requires perseverance and the suspension of fear. 

     

    Involuntary disembarkation (2021). 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 is about the freedom found in progress and the ability to displace fear even if it’s temporary. 

    • Anja Niemi, A Moment of Trust, 2021
      Anja Niemi, A Moment of Trust, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, Lightness in Solid Black, 2021
      Anja Niemi, Lightness in Solid Black, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, The Show Jumper and The Horseless Rider, 2021
      Anja Niemi, The Show Jumper and The Horseless Rider, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, White Horse and the Lake, 2021
      Anja Niemi, White Horse and the Lake, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, The Empty Arena and The Rider, 2021
      Anja Niemi, The Empty Arena and The Rider, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, Black Water, 2021
      Anja Niemi, Black Water, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, Involuntary Disembarkation, 2021
      Anja Niemi, Involuntary Disembarkation, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, Meadow at Dusk, 2021
      Anja Niemi, Meadow at Dusk, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, Stallion Portrait with Missing Tack, 2021
      Anja Niemi, Stallion Portrait with Missing Tack, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, The Lake, 2021
      Anja Niemi, The Lake, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, The Landing, 2021
      Anja Niemi, The Landing, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, The Portrait, 2021
      Anja Niemi, The Portrait, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, The Rider, 2021
      Anja Niemi, The Rider, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, The Show Jumper, 2021
      Anja Niemi, The Show Jumper, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, The Stallion, 2021
      Anja Niemi, The Stallion, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, White Horse with Fabric, 2021
      Anja Niemi, White Horse with Fabric, 2021
    • Anja Niemi, The Rider Vol. 1
      Anja Niemi, The Rider Vol. 1

  • 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.