Photography education in Sweden has existed in many different arenas and has developed over the years from informal apprenticeships to research preparatory programs. Even today, there are many different paths to take for those who want to work with photography. What view of learning exists today, and how has the relationship between teacher and student changed? How have the educations affected the artists who have entered professional life, and how does it shape the art they create? Do schools create an identity as a photographer, and what does it mean for personal development to attend an education? We also ask about the future of schools, how will the schools respond to new demands placed on future photographers?

As part of the Center for Photography’s 25th anniversary, a panel has been invited to take the pulse of today’s study environment and ask how the educations have developed and what challenges they face today.

The evening begins with a presentation by Adéle Askelöf, a doctoral student at Stockholm University. In her dissertation, she examines the development of photographic education in Sweden between 1960-2000 and gives us a historical perspective on the subject. This is followed by a discussion with Lisa Grip, a teacher in the Artistic Photography course at Kulturama in Stockholm, Erik Gustafsson, an artist and former student at HDK-Valand, and Kerstin Hamilton, an artistic researcher and teacher at HDK-Valand. The moderator for the conversation is Kristyna Müller, operations manager at the Center for Photography.

Participants

Adéle Askelöf is a doctoral student in art history at the Department of Culture and Aesthetics, Stockholm University. Her research interests primarily concern issues about the discursive construction and historiographical problems of the photographic medium. In her dissertation, she examines the development of photographic education in Sweden between 1960-2000. The project highlights how photography education has functioned as social reproduction and has been a central actor in legitimization processes linked to ideas about photography and the role of the photographer. She has also worked as a photographer with both a commercial and artistic focus.

Lisa Grip (b.1988) is an artist and photographer. She is educated at the bachelor’s program in Artistic Photography at the Valand Academy in Gothenburg and Konstfack in Stockholm, where she received her master’s degree in Art in 2019. In addition to her artistic work, Lisa has since 2019 worked as a teacher at Kulturama’s adult education programs in Artistic Photography and now also at Art Lab Gnesta, where she works as a curator and runs artistic experiments with children and young people.

Erik Gustafsson (b.1987) is an artist and lives in Gothenburg. He is educated at HDK-Valand and has in recent years shown his work in exhibitions in Sweden and internationally, as well as published four artist’s books.

Kerstin Hamilton is an artist, researcher, curator, and teacher. Since 2024, she has been working on a postdoc project in photography and natural science at the Hasselblad Foundation and the University of Gothenburg. She has a doctorate in artistic practice and is a teacher in photography at the unit for film, photography and literary composition, HDK-Valand, University of Gothenburg.

Moderator: Kristyna Müller, Operations Manager, Center for Photography.

The conversation is presented in collaboration between the Center for Photography and HDK-Valand – Academy of Art and Design.