• photography by MATTIAS EDWALL
    stylist JAHWANNA BERGLUND
    hair & make up ELVA AHLBIN 
    talent JOSEFIN ZACHRISSON / Mikas
    total look BOTTEGA VENETA
    earrings LWL JEWELRY

    An Interview With Josefin Zachrisson

    Written by Amandine Bredelet by Sandra Myhrberg

    Josefin Zachrisson was born and raised in Söderhamn. After four years of art and design studies, she graduated in 2019 Beckmans School of Design and is today active as an artist and designer with Stockholm as base. She describes her practice as a three-dimensional language in the border country between art and design. With her design language, she wants to communicate feelings, thoughts and ideas. Her way of working is conceptual, experimental and emotional and takes consideration for both impression and use. In addition to their individual work Josefin is also part of the art and design collective Swedish Girls.

    What inspires you? Where do you find your inspiration? In my work I often try to reflect society in some way and my concepts are the outcome of my thoughts and emotions. The input is therefore very important, I value conversations and I often look to all other artforms for inspiration.


    How would you describe your artwork? I exist in both art and design and would describe my work as conceptual, experimental and emotional. The meeting between my work and the consumer is what gives it purpose and that's why I often work with some kind of function.


    What message do you want to deliver through your artwork? I want to communicate feelings, thoughts and ideas through my work. It is my form of outlet and my source of peace. Art and design keeps me constantly challenged, educated and inspired and I hope to contribute.


    What is your dream project? I’m working towards my first gallery show in Stockholm at the moment and to be honest, this is my dream project. Further on I have so many ideas, people I would love to work with and places I want to exhibit so it would be impossible to choose one.


    Can you explain your “Swedish Girls” collective? By starting Swedish Girls we created a context for ourselves. Our name comes from owning what people in the business call us. Together and individually we want to claim a space in the borderland of art and design.


    Is that your fight? As a queer woman I fight for representation in a business with a remaining male genius complex. I have a privilege based on my socio-economic background and my skin color so the bigger fight will always be for inclusion. Our common fight is to create with responsibility to prevent climate change and this can not be done without diverse representation. 


    What is the biggest difference between a model and artiste designer? I find a lot of similarities in the way it’s about physical expression and the emotional work behind it. The biggest difference is how the model industry still is so trapped in ideals. There is no right or wrong in art and it should not be in modelling either, it’s about identity and identity has to be free.


    Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I actually quite often write my diary like it's 10 years from now and last time I did I wrote about my first or second opening at MoMa.      

    total look ACNE STUDIOS
    total look ACNE STUDIOS
    coat BOTTEGA VENETA
    earring LWL JEWELRY
    total look BOTTEGA VENETA
  • photography by AGNES STRAND
    stylist ANNA SUNDELIN / Agent Bauer
    make up EMELIE WOOD
    hair CAMILLA JÄRVÅS
    dress MATILDA ENVALL
    gloves HANDSOME

    Rebecca Scheja

    Written by Anna Sundelin

    Swedish actress, producer, songwriter, singer and DJ, she’s part of the DJ duet Rebecca& Fiona with Fiona Fitzpatrick. They won a Grammy in 2011 and 2015.

    What is your dream project?
    Oh shit, I have many dream projects. One of them is to develop my production and writing skills to be able to compose film music. I’ve always been so fascinated by how much music and sounds sets the mood and could change the whole experience of a scene. Another dream is to keep building our record label ‘Big Romantic Music’ and work with upcoming artists, guiding them throughout their creative journey.

    How did you become interested in this field?
    I’ve been singing since I was a kid. I went to a music school and was always pretty sure that I would end up working with music somehow. But it wasn’t until I met Fiona that I found my way home musically. We had the same interest in dance music and started to DJ and produce almost immediately after getting to know each other.

    What did you learn a little too late?
    Hmm… I don’t feel like I’ve learned anything too late. I’m still learning and loving every minute of it.

    How would you describe your aesthetics?
    As performers and artists, we’ve been through many different styles, inspired by the 80’s and late 90’s. We decided early on that we didn’t want to inspire young people to mass consumption or in changing your appearance, but to invest in your interests and finding your own unique style. And the best way to do that is to buy secondhand clothes.

    Would you describe yourself as more of a pessimist or a dreamer?
    As a private person I’m a hopeless romantic but a pessimist when it comes to work. Probably to be able to get shit done and to not be fooled over by men in the industry swell, haha!

    What gives you energy? 
    Music, friends, family and one or another tasty pasta is necessary for me to function.

    What is the best thing about being an artist based in Sweden?
    I’m just so happy that Sweden got a political system that allows you to try out creative subjects in school, so that I was able to find my interest early on. After that, I’m happy that people don’t talk that much about what they want to do, they just make it happen. I think that’s why there’s so much great music coming from Sweden. That and the total fucking darkness that is, haha.

  • photography by AGNES STRAND
    stylist ANNA SUNDELIN
    make up EMELIE WOOD
    hair CAMILLA JÄRVÅS
    jacket ANASTASIA JANSÄTER

    Elliphant

    Written by Anna Sundelin

    Swedish singer, songwriter and rapper. She is current with the single ”Could This Be Love”.

    What is your dream project?
    My dream project would be to bring my family and travel all over the world with a studio bus and make music with local artist and producers on the most amazing spots. Like deep in the jungle far out in the desert and on top of the mountain!


    How did you become interested in this field?
    Music has always been obvious in my family home, it was so natural in our house that I never really had an interest in it, it was like the moon and the sun, something beautiful I took for granted and never thought I’d use to express myself with… But it was always important for me to process my life through art, so I first bloomed by painting and with photography, then life had a different plan for me and through traveling and being super into the underground music scene, I slowly morphed into being a music artist. It was never my plan to become Elliphant, but I’m forever grateful to life for this blessing.

    What did you learn a little too late?
    How amazing collaboration is! That art making is pure magic when you share the process with someone. Before, I was always lonely in my creativity and that made me a control freak, but when I started writing songs, I was depending on the producer’s. Cos I don’t know how to play any instruments or music programming, so I had to let go of all prestige and trust the process. Soon, I fell in love with the feeling I got from making something unexpected with someone that I sometimes didn’t even know before that. It’s still what I love most with making music, to depend on someone else and make a song from the air between me and a stranger.

    How would you describe your aesthetics?
    I don’t think I have any aesthetic, am all over the place. I can’t make up my mind in general, but when it comes to my appearance am extra ambivalent. I think I want to be perceived all clean looking with a naturally fresh glow like cute freckles, summer breeze vibes. But I seem to have some ‘un washable’ dirt under my nails and a messy hair (and spirit) that’s impossible to untangle so that’s definitely not the case. My aesthetic is in the eyes of the viewer I guess, lol.

    Would you describe yourself as more of a pessimist or a dreamer?
    A dreamer for sure. I enjoy dreaming maybe a little too much, for me it doesn’t matter if a dream come to life or not, cos it’s the dream itself that matter. My boyfriend goes crazy with me dreaming away all the time, but I never want to waste a moment of dreaming just because it realistically not gonna happen. It’s the moment that matter for me and 99% of my dreams stay as dreams and that’s all good. I don’t understand people that don’t care to dream cos they’re afraid of disappointment.

    What gives you energy? 
    Nature. And the love I have in my friends and my family.

    What is the best thing about being an artist based in Sweden?
    Sweden is a great place both now and historically when it comes to art in general. It’s a small country with big creative fire. I haven’t worked on music in Sweden so much in the past but are planning on doing my next album here and am very excited about that cos there is so much talent concentrated here. I actually can’t wait to start! Soon, as my daughter don’t need me 24/7 and this COVID shit pass I will jump into the northern sea of stars and create some pure magic am sure. Blisseh!

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