Bio
”A guiding principle in Källström-Fäldt’s oeuvre is the gap between what is visible and what is told. By exploring the limitations, challenges, and possibilities of photography, the artists aim to unfold and expose overlooked parts of official history as well as contemporary narratives. This is where nuances, critical perspectives, and questions reside. These are the stories that are uncomfortable and difficult. They would most likely have no natural platform in the public arena if they did not appear in Källström-Fäldt’s projects.” (From ”A Midcareer Retrospective at the Hasselblad Foundation” by Dragana Vujanović Östlind, Chief Curator, Hasselblad Foundation)
”Klara Källström and Thobias Fäldt have presented a number of projects that reflect on notions of uncertainty and the act of seeing as registers of both production and consumption. In their works, images, found or produced by the artists, are reactivated in new temporal, spatial, and material contexts. By such means they also manage to reflect on the role of emerging forms of the distributed and networked image, and its hyperconnected and accelerated patterns of mutation and migration.” (From ”Why Not… Gather Together?!” by Lars Willumeit, director and curator at Fotostiftung Schweiz (Swiss Foundation for Photography) in Winterthur)
”Grounded in the medium of photography, Källström-Fäldt’s work asks how the photograph is implicated in historical change, and how it transforms across time (…) Historical conjunctures are particularly important for Källström-Fäldt: the Cuban revolution of 1959 and its legacy; Brexit and the unravelling of Europe; Josip Broz Tito’s (and the Non-Aligned Movement’s) brief visit to Sweden in 1976; the collapse of the Soviet Union 1991; and the rise of China as a capitalist power. Their work suggests that history is very much with us, and that past events continue to resonate in our present.” (From ”Sense Against Sensationalism: The Work of Klara Källström and Thobias Fäldt” by Duncan Forbes, Director of Photography at Victoria & Albert Museum)
In 2011, Källström-Fäldt started the continuous project Wikiland that takes its vantage point in the media image of the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The same year, Europe, Greece, Athens, Acropolis, became the starting point for a series of works on the representation of the Greek crisis beginning in Athens during the general strikes in October 2011, followed up in 2016 in 25 Lemon Trees, No Gardeners. From an artist-residency in Quebec stems the project Village (2015) that revolves around the loss of indigenous languages after the colonization of North America. In exhibited form the work A Beach (2015) draws attention to the gallery space and its ability to accumulate value to an eroded history, in this case the one of Jaffa in Israel/Palestine. The Last of the Lucky derives from an encounter in the streets of Havanna in 2014, when Källström-Fäldt met a man who turned out to have been one of Fidel Castro’s former private photographers. In a city deficient of most photographic equipment, the photographer helped them find some films for their camera. Three rolls named Lucky were put to their disposal and accompanied by the following words, ‘These are the last rolls of Cuba.’ In 2016, the series was extended to The Last of the Lucky / You Can’t Always Get What You Want where the gaze is turned towards the US and where the change in the Americas is manifesting itself in messages sent over the US social network Twitter leading up to the US presidential elections later that year. In November of 2018 they began the work The Swedish Matter, which revisits the Swedish history and its blind spots seen through the lens of the country’s bio mass industry. In 2019 they collaborated with Museum of Yugoslavia and it’s photographic archive of President Josip Broz Tito. In the beginning of 2018, together with French photography collector and artist Thomas Sauvin, Källström-Fäldt initiated a work that takes its vantage point in Sauvin’s Beijing Silvermine archive which consists of photographic negatives collected from recycling stations around the Beijing region of China. In their latest collaboration On This Day from 2021, they orchestrate an encounter between the Beijing Silvermine and the Euro-American database onthisday.com with the aim of shedding light on possible scenarios in which the hegemonic order – who, in the future, will get to write the history – is under renegotiation.
Klara Källström (b 1984) and Thobias Fäldt (b 1978) live and work in Gothenburg, Sweden. Their collaboration began in 2005. They have since founded the publishing platform B-B-B-Books (2011) and the gallery project FG2 in Gothenburg (2018). Their works have been exhibited internationally including Unseen (Amsterdam), Hasselblad Foundation (Gothenburg), Bunkier Sztuki in Krakow during Krakow Photomonth, Trafó House of Contemporary Arts (Budapest), Le Bal and Photo Saint Germain (Paris), LACMA (Los Angeles), Aperture Foundation (New York), Kunstal Charlottenborg (Copenhagen), CFF/Center for Photography and Fotografiska (Stockholm). They have received the Hasselblad Foundation’s Photobook Grant (2021), the Documentary Award from the Museum of Work in Sweden (2015), and Scanpix Photo Prize (2012 and 2006). The artists hold working grants from the Swedish Arts and Grants Committee and the Writers Committee in Sweden. Klara Källström is a doctoral student in Informatics at the Department of Applied IT and Senior lecturer in photography at HDK-Valand – Academy of Art and Design, Gothenburg University.
Källström-Fäldt’s books are found in museum collections including Tate (London), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris), Hasselblad Foundation (Gothenburg), LACMA (Los Angeles), The Met (New York), Pier 24 Photography (San Francisco), The Art Museum of Estonia (Tallin), San Telmo Museoa (San Sebastian), MACBA (Barcelona)
Awards / Grants / Artist-in-residence
Award, Swedish Book Art, Stockholm, 2024 – Källström / Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2024 – Fäldt
Artist-in-Residence at Air Trieste, Italy, 2024 – Källström / Fäldt
Shortlisted at The Paris Photo-Aperture PhotoBook Awards, 2023 – Källström / Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2023 – Fäldt
Project grant from from Gothenburg Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee, 2023 – Källström / Fäldt
Shortlisted at Les Rencontres de la photographie, Arles, Prix du Livre Photo-Texte, 2023 – Källström / Fäldt
Project grant from from Gothenburg Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee, 2022 – Källström / Fäldt
Grant from Längmanska culture fund, 2022 – Källström / Fäldt
Nominee, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, 2021 – Källström / Fäldt
Five year working grant from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2021 – Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2021 – Källström
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2021 – Fäldt
Shortlisted at Les Rencontres de la photographie, Arles, Prix du Livre Photo-Texte, 2021 – Källström / Fäldt
Five year working grant from Swedish Authors’ Fund, 2021 – Källström
Project grant from from Gothenburg Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee, 2021 – Källström / Fäldt
Development grant from from Gothenburg Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee, 2021 – Källström / Fäldt
Crisis Grant 3 from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2021 – Källström
Crisis Grant 3 from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2021 – Fäldt
Hasselblad Foundation’s large Photo Book Grant, 2021 – Källström / Fäldt
Crisis Grant 2 from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2020 – Källström
Crisis Grant 2 from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2020 – Fäldt
Temporary scholarship from Gothenburg Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee, 2020 – Källström
Temporary scholarship from Gothenburg Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee, 2020 – Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2019 – Källström
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2019 – Fäldt
Nominee, C/O Berlin Talent Award, 2019 – Källström / Fäldt
Two year working grant from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2018 – Källström
Project grant from Gothenburg Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee, 2018 – Källström / Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2018 – Källström
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2018 – Fäldt
Artist-in-Residence at Air Trieste, Italy, 2018 – Källström / Fäldt
Two year working grant from Swedish Authors’ Fund, 2018 – Fäldt
Project grant from from Gothenburg Arts and Cultural Affairs Committee, 2017 – Källström / Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2017 – Källström
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2017 – Fäldt
Shortlisted at Les Rencontres de la photographie, Arles, Prix du Livre d’Auteur. 2017 – Källström / Fäldt
Artist-in-Residence at Lucy Art Rescidency, Second prize winners, Greece, 2017 – Källström / Fäldt
Shortlisted at MAD book award, 2017 – Källström / Fäldt
Project grant from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2017 – Källström / Fäldt
Artist-in-Residence at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, granted through The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, Sweden, 2017 – Källström / Fäldt
Grant from Grafström-Sandqvist Fund / Sundsvall’s Museum, 2016 – Källström
Grant from KKN, Nordic Culture Point, 2016 – Källström / Fäldt
Artist-in-Residence at Nova Iskra in Belgrade, granted thorough Iaspis, 2016 – Källström / Fäldt
Grant from Theodor och Hanne Mannheimers Fund, 2016 – Källström
Artist-In-Residence at the Swedish Institute in Kavalla, granted thorough Swedish Photographers Association, Greece, 2016 – Fäldt
Shortlisted at The Swedish Photobook Award, 2016 – Källström / Fäldt
Grant from Swedish Arts Council, Distribution support to all Swedish public libraries, 2016 – Källström / Fäldt
Shortlisted at Les Rencontres de la photographie, Arles, Prix du Livre d’Auteur, 2015 – Källström / Fäldt
Artist-In-Residence at the Swedish Institute in Kavalla, granted thorough Swedish Photographers Association, Greece, 2015 – Källström
One year working grant from Swedish Authors’ Fund, 2015 – Fäldt
Award, Greenhill Art Award, Stockholm, 2015 – Källström / Fäldt
Artist-in-Residence at CULT in Oakland, granted thorough CULT Exhibitions, 2015 – Källström / Fäldt
Grant from Otto and Charlotte Mannheimer Fund, 2015 – Källström
Award, Museum of Work’s Documentary Award, Norrköping, 2014 – Källström / Fäldt
Shortlisted at The Swedish Photobook Award, 2014 – Källström / Fäldt
Two year working grant from Swedish Authors’ Fund, 2014 – Källström
Two year working grant from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2013 – Källström
Two year working grant from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2013 – Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2013 – Källström
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2013 – Fäldt
Artist-in-Residence at VU Photo in Quèbec, granted through The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), Quèbec, Canada, 2013 – Källström / Fäldt
Award, Scanpix Big Photo Award, Stockholm, 2012 – Källström / Fäldt
Grant from Swedish Arts Council, Distribution support to all Swedish public libraries, 2012 – Källström / Fäldt
Grant from KKN, Nordic Culture Point, 2012 – Källström / Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2012 – Källström
Nominee, Foam Paul Huf Award, 2012 – Källström / Fäldt
One year working grant from Swedish Authors’ Fund, 2012 – Källström
One year working grant from Swedish Authors’ Fund, 2012 – Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2011 – Källström
Project grant from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2010 – Fäldt
One year working grant from Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2011 – Källström
Grant from Helga Axons Stiftelse, 2010 – Fäldt
Travel grant from Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee, 2010 – Källström
Award, Russian Reporter magazine, Picture of the year, 2010 – Fäldt
Shortlisted at Photo Eye, Santa Fe, Best book, 2009 – Källström
Shortlisted at Les Rencontres de la photographie, Arles, Prix du Livre d’Auteur, 2009 – Källström
One year working grant from Swedish Authors’ Fund, 2009 – Källström
Shortlisted at Kolla! Swedish Illustrators Association, 2009 – Källström
Travel grant from Swedish Photographers Association, 2009 – Källström
Nominee, Hasselblad Foundation Viktor Fellowship, 2009 – Källström
Shortlisted at Sjuhärad Photo award, 2007 – Källström / Fäldt
Award, Scanpix Big Photo Award, Stockholm, 2006 – Fäldt
Award, Magazine of the Year – Newcomer, Swedish Magazine Publishers Association, 2006 – Fäldt