MINE

Using black and white photographs from the series Grouse City, Anders Alm delves into everyday life and meets those who live in Kiruna today. For him, photography is a way to reclaim his hometown before the changes become too great. Through the camera, he rediscovers the city, old acquaintances, and new Kiruna residents. The material broadens the image of Kiruna and shows a vibrant community that constantly adapts to the growth of companies and the extent of the mine.

Erik Holmstedt exhibits color photographs from the series Living on an Unstable Mountain. Using a mapping method, he shows how the community he grew up in has been emptied of its population and how the town of Malmberget is now facing a final decommissioning. Within a year, it will be a fenced-off area as the ever-expanding mining undermines the ground. His photographs depict no people, only the traces they leave behind.

Anders Alm and Erik Holmstedt grew up in Kiruna and Malmberget, respectively. Both have been active since the 1970s and have devoted a large part of their photographic practice to documenting the constant changes that take place in their places of upbringing.

Anders Alm (b. 1955) lives and works in Gammelstad. He has exhibited at Black Door Gallery, Örebro, Rättviks Konsthall, Regionhuset in Luleå, Piteå Konsthall, and Liljevalchs konsthall, Stockholm, among others. His latest published book is Innanför linjen för påverkade områden (2022).

Erik Holmstedt (b. 1952) lives and works in Luleå. He has exhibited at Galleri Valo, Arktikum, Rovaniemi, Liljevalchs konsthall, Stockholm, Piteå Konsthall, Bergen Kunsthall, Norway, Havremagasinet, Boden, and Malmö Konstmuseum, among others. His latest published book is Malmberget (2023).