'Starlets': Anja Niemi

In Starlets, Niemi continues to combine the self-portrait with the idea of the staged narrative. The images are like film stills with herself playing all the characters - a 'ne-man band', she always works alone. The stories are loosely told so as to leave room for interpretation.

Niemi states that "there will always be a bit of me in them" believing that private experience help to create universal statements. She often multiplies herself, to look at inner conflicts or the contrast between what we show and who we are. The images possess an eerie, unreal quality, combining tragedy with humour.

"We haved a tendency to cover up our flaws and decay, hiding all the ugliness of time and I try to have a bit of humour about it". - Anja Niemi

Born in Norway in 1976, Anja Niemi studied at the London College of Printing and Parsons School of Design in Paris and New York. She has exhibited widely in both Europe and the USA with her previous series' 'Do Not Disturb', 'Portrait of the Invisible' and 'Porcelain'. Anja Niemi is one of the most exciting young European photographers. Art Review and Art & Auction have tipped her as a 'bright young thing' and 'one to watch'.