The Woman Who Never Existed by Anja Niemi was inspired by the words of the pioneering Italian actress Eleonora Duse. Eleonora worked the international theatre stage alongside Sara Bernhardt in the early 20th century. In contrast to Bernhardt's outgoing personality, Duse was introverted and private, rarely giving interviews. She once famously told a pushy New York journalist, that ‘away from the stage I do not exist.’
Niemi takes on the role of a fictional character visualized after reading Eleonora’s words. The Woman Who Never Existed tells the story of an actress who only exists in front of an audience, when no one is looking she starts to disappear. In the same way as before Niemi works alone. Photographing, staging and acting out the characters in all of her photographs. She is an artist playing with notions of self-portraiture and self-identity. Niemi says her images merges darkness with humour. They hint to the disparity between who we are and how we want to be perceived.
Norwegian photographer Anja Niemi is considered ‘one of the most compelling modern artists working today’. (British Journal of Photography). Niemi always works alone. Photographing, staging and acting out the characters in all of her photographs.
