We are very proud to announce that Julia Lindemalm has joined Kontinent! To introduce her we had a chat about her latest project – Katt People – and body of work. To see more of her work please check her profile page. Welcome Julia!
Your latest project Katt People resulted in a book. Can you tell us a bit about the project? And whats with the Swenglish title?
I became interested in the strong feelings that cats evoke. The love for cats seems more intense than for other pets. They have become the entire internet’s sweethearts. At the same time, the cat’s status is lower than other pet animals; there is about 100 000 homeless cats in Sweden. People who love cats also interested me, especially women. Why is there contempt for women with many cats? There was a lot to investigate. I collaborated with an old friend of mine who is a real cat lover. She wrote the introductory text. It turned out to be a good combination: she describes the love for cats from an insiders perspective and my pictures are taken by an outsider looking in. The book is bilingual, hence the Swenglish title.
This is not your first project about the animal kingdom, so to speak, how come you have taken an interest in this theme?
The basic reason is that I feel strongly for animals. And I am intrigued with questions that are complex, without simple answers. Our relationship with animals is filled with love, but also with power and oppression. The love is on our terms. There is little journalism or art taking the relationship between humans and animals seriously. Often animals become surfaces for our own projections. They serve as comic relief, romantic dreams of pure nature etcetera. There is a hole to fill.
This might be a stupid question, but are you a dog or a cat person?
Dog person! I have loved dogs since I was a kid. That’s why I did the cat project, to understand the cat love. The dog love is already clear to me.
What do you think you can contribute to Kontinent, and what are you hoping Kontinent will be doing for you?
I bring a different type of documentary photography. Subjective and esthetically poetic. I hope Kontinent can contribute with international contacts and I’m excited to be in a network with inspiring photographers.
Do you have any project you’re working on right now that you want to tell us about?
I am in the process of starting a new project that continues to explore animals and people. At the moment I’m reading a lot. To me this is a vulnerable stage of a project so I will tell you more once I start shooting.
Thank you and again welcome to Kontinent!
