I intended to make a self-portrait made by previous romantic partners. I asked my ex-boyfriends and lovers to provide me with every photograph they took of me during our relationship. The pictures I received were created over 25 years. The first photo was created when I was nineteen, the last one was made this year after turning forty-five. The series contains fifty-five photographs created by nine different authors, and are presented in chronological order.
The work can be seen as biographical work, telling about a part of my life, but also an indirect portrait of the photographer— my former partner behind the camera. “ÄLSKLING” highlights the unique ways in which people perceive one another when they are in love. This 25-year recollection attempts to demonstrate how former romantic relationships are recognised within the context of photography and memory.
Jenny Rova was born in Sweden in 1972, and has lived in Zurich since 2001. She studied at FAMU Academy of Performing Arts in Prague Czech Republic (Bachelor) and at Zhdk University of the Arts in Zurich Switzerland. Her work was the subject of a solo exhibition at Breadfield in Malmö, Sweden, and has been included in group exhibitions at Fotomuseum in Winterthur, Switzerland, Friche de la Belle de Mai in Marseille, France, Festival Images in Vevey, Switzerland, and Helsinki Photo Festival in Helsinki Finland. In 2018, she was the winner of the Swedish Photo Book Award Prize for her monograph, ÄLSKLING a self-portrait through the eyes of my lovers. She currently lives and works between Sweden and Switzerland.
Submit your work to be considered for solo or group exhibitions in Head On Photo Festival.
Enthralling. Enchanting. Extraordinary. Discover exceptional photography for free around Sydney during the festival 8 Nov–1 Dec 2024
