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The

Artist

Barbara Marstrand

Nominated in
2024
By
Copenhagen Photo Festival
Lives and Works in
Copenhagen
Barbara Marstrand (b. 1994) is a self-taught photographer based in Copenhagen with a background in sociology. She explores social life through aesthetics to create rich visual narratives that make us reflect upon our ways of being in the world today. Focusing on the interaction between people and materiality, she examines the boundaries of what is considered worthy of seeing, portraying, and relating to. Marstrand's work is characterized by thorough research, drawing inspiration from sociology, philosophy and history of art, as well as visual artworks and popular culture. She brings a reflexive approach to photography, combining realism and fiction within a conceptual tradition of still life.In 2023 she published her first photo book ‘Still Life of Teenagers’ with Danish publisher Disko Bay. The book explores the lives of Danish youth through photographs of their bedrooms.
Projects
2024

Still Life of Teenagers

Still Life of Teenagers by Barbara Marstrand is a series that delves into the ways young people engage with the world through photographs of their homes. Centered around the teenage bedroom, the series offers a personal insight into contemporary Danish youth life. The snapshots capture aspects of everyday life that we often take for granted or perhaps even overlook. Interiors, technology and everyday clutter fill the rooms with information and stories about the lives that unfold within and around them. The project was published in book form by Disko Bay in 2023. “Barbara Marshtrand’ s photo book offers a keenly observant sociological study of the Danish youth culture of today. […] We go hunting for signs in the pictures ; we sense, feel and construct stories about the rooms ’ inhabitants .” – from the book ’ s opening essay by Mette Sandbye.
Barbara Marstrand
was nominated by
Copenhagen Photo Festival
in
2024
Show all projects
Each year every member of the FUTURES European Photography Platform nominates a set of artists and projects to become part of the FUTURES network.

Barbara Marstrand (b. 1994) has been selected for her project Still Life of Teenagers which playfully portrays the lives of Danish youth. Approaching photography with a curiosity about different groups of people, Marstrand offers a unique insight into different life experiences, combining her artistic practice and keen eye with sociological methods.

Emma Sarpaniemi (b.1993), based in Helsinki, has been selected for her project Two Ways to Carry a Cauliflower because of her refreshingly unique, satiric and at the same time intimate way of exploring identity. Through both performative and satirical self portraits, Sarpaniemi challenges traditional femininity and gender roles.

Frederik Danielsen (b. 1995) has been selected for his work revolving around the myths of the Danish island Als, where the artist himself grew up. Danielsen evokes the viewer's curiosity for these local places and their stories by applying a photographic approach that combines documentary photography and conceptual art, using both his own photographs as well as found material from local archives.

Jenni Toivonen (b. 1993) based in Helsinki, has been selected for her project Are We There - a performative journey to the old village Penedo where her grandparents were set to build an utopian community in the tropics. As it unfolds, the project becomes an investigation into migration, memory and history.

Mathias Eis (b. 1995) has been selected for his long-term project Are we nearly there yet?, which explores life at the 148 rest stops along the Danish highway. Although most Danish people have visited at least one of these stops, few attach any value to them, so Eis transforms these otherwise bland locations into places worth seeing.