Candace and I were introduced to the work of Sara Applegren when we were invited by Tema Stauffer and David Andrew Frey to guest curate an issue of Culturehall; for that feature - titled Framed- we included images from Sara's series View of a Passing Landscape.
Sara's work is a fresh and modern as her name and we are delighted to present this conversation today.
© Sara Appelgren
NP: Tell us a little about yourself.
SA: I was born in 1975, in Nyköping, Sweden, and now I'm living and working in Stockholm, Sweden. I got my Master of Arts at Konstfack (Stockholm University College of Arts Crafts and Design) in 2004 and since then I have been freelancing as an artist and photographer.

© Sara Appelgren
NP: How did you discover photography?
SA: I started taking lots of personal pictures of myself and my friends during my teens, so I actually started learning photography and darkroom techniques fairly early on, yet during my first three or four years of art studies I focused almost entirely on sculpture and drawing. It wasn't until my studies at Konstfack (1999–2004) that I started to seriously incorporate photography in my art. There I learned more about lighting and advanced camera techniques, and how to use it all in a more controlled and conscious way. So ultimately it took me several years of art studies to kind of shift into photography, and to this day I suppose I approach my work in a kind of sculptural manner.
NP: Where do you find inspiration?
AG: I'm very interested in how experiences are created; and I'm easily inspired by situations where experiences are the main focus, for example concerts, shows, movies, stories, sporting events and so on. I find it really interesting to contemplate all the parts that are in play in these kinds of situations, and especially all those things that aren't in the spotlight but still has such a great impact on our experiences. I've been focusing on the spectator for quite some time now, and I find that solely contemplating any given audience often give birth to new ideas. I also find it interesting how we position ourselves against others at social events, how we communicate (or not) and how we approach others in various situations – myself included, naturally. Pictures from outside the arts and culture scene might also inspire, like news photos or instructional pictures. One of my first photo projects “Scenes” 2002–2003 is based on pictures from self defense books.

© Sara Appelgren
Pictures meant to communicate one particular thing or point of view have always fascinated me, everything from religious icons to illustrations in classical fairy tales, and lately all sorts of propaganda. I find propaganda's extreme simplification of complex issues interesting, as well as how it uses such overblown drama and black and white thinking to reinforce it's message. It could be argued that propaganda is a kind of aggressive extension of the essence of scenography – influencing and persuasive, a one way communication.
© Sara Appelgren
NP: How do your projects come about?
SA: Timewise, the actual photo shoot is a fairly minor part of my work process even though I usually end up taking a huge amount of pictures to achieve the end result of any art project. I typically lose myself in a subject doing some form of research for an extensive period of time, like collecting pictures and texts related to any particular subject. I often begin a process without a clear idea of what the end result will be, and I seldom fit an entire concept in one single image. I have a spatial approach to my ideas and I always take the viewer into consideration early on in the process. Nearly all of my work revolve around various aspects of scenography and experiences, particularly from the spectators point of view. I often set out from one specific situation or occurrence to provide some sort of frame for a project to make it easier to handle, but the point of origin isn't always relevant to the end result as I often strip so much out of the pictures that they end up approaching something else entirely or at the very least become quite ambivalent. I'm not interested in telling a story that can be read in one way only. There is no definitive key, I feel more like I'm providing the viewer with a space to project onto.



© Sara Appelgren
Most of my works are closely related conceptually; one work often leads to another. In “Portraits” you can see an audience's fascination and presence, and the following work “Settings” focuses on the space of expectation: the foyer – the space we're in before and after a show. In “Mingle” we meet the spectator as a social and mingling being that's both watching others and being watched. The environmental depictions of fairy tales play an integral part of “Telling Stories”. The first part of the ongoing project “Stage” shows the stage prepared for a concert. I suppose it's all some form of deconstruction, disassembling a greater whole into it's elemental parts and giving all the parts the same significance.
© Sara Appelgren
When I've worked on public commissions I've based them both spatially and conceptually on the specific places for the final works and created a sort of scenographic photo installation for them. With “View of a Passing Landscape”, a commission for a long corridor in a psych ward in Stockholm, I created a condensed train trip in the form of a number of train windows with various views from actual train rides. Each view can be seen as scenography for widely different moods. The choice of depicting views from a trip also emanates from the idea of how traveling relates to longing, searching and expectations. A trip is always a forward motion, regardless of whether the destination matches our expectations or not. We leave something behind to meet something new. It's like life itself – a trip with a variable view.
NP: What’s next?
SA: I've just started working on a new series of portraits based on rituals in front of a mirror in preparation for a night out, or before a show or concert. I am interested in the preparations themselves in combination with the expectations for the evening, but I'm perhaps even more interested in the rituals moments of introspective concentration where we meet our own gaze in the mirror – unavailable for anyone else. I'm providing some samples of the first few photos in the series.



© Sara Appelgren
N: Thank you so much!
To see more of Sara's work please visit: www.saraappelgren.com.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
A Conversation with Sara Applegren
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Picture(s)of the Week: Art for Haiti
Today's Picture(s) of the Week are a selection of work available from our Art for Haiti auction.
To see all the great images up for auction please head to www.nymphoto.com. Thank you & Happy Bidding!
© Laura Heyman
© Geoffrey Hutrchinson
© Nina Buesing Corvallo
© Tema Stauffer
Please revisit our conversations with Tema, Laura and Nina. You can find them on the side bar to your right -- or by clicking on their names.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Culturehall Intern Wanted

Click to enlarge courtesy Culturehall
Culturehall is looking for an intern. This is a great opportunity for someone for someone looking to gain experience In art administration. From experience we can tell you that Tema and David are wonderful people to work with.
Please head over to Tema Stauffer's blog to find out more: www.palmaire.blogspot.com.
And see the current issue of Culturehall titled Framed curated by Candace and myself.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Culturehall: Framed


from Framed © Sara Appelgren; © Andrea Chung
Two of Nymphoto's founders, Nina Buesing Corvallo and Candace Gottschalk, curated a selection of artwork on Culturehall (www.culturehall.com) this week. Culturehall is a curated online resource for contemporary art where selected artists can share their work with curators, gallerists, collectors and other artists. This week feature is titled Framed and showcases work by Sara Appelgren, Tina Markova-Gold, LaToya Ruby Frazier and Andrea Chung.
Also please revisit our conversation with Tiana by clicking here and stay tuned for our upcoming conversation with Sara Applegren.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Winter Convo Redux
We thought it would be nice to re-visit conversations with artists that photograph in colder climates. There is something magical about snow.
Erika Larsen, the recipient of the first WIPNYC grant, who exploresthe symbiosis of hunting and nature. Re-visit our conversation with Erika Larsen conversation by clicking here.
After The Wolves, from the series 'The Hunt', © Erika Larsen
Lisa M. Robinson photographs our world in context with nature. In her photograph the snow works like a frame, drawing the viewers attention to the center and the simple marvels observed. Re-visit our conversation with Lisa M. Robinson by clicking here.
Wish ©Lisa M. Robinson
Camilla Seaman captures the overwhelming beauty and power of our natural world. She has said that she approaches photographing icebergs like photographing an elder. There is no separation, everything is connected. Re-visitour conversation with Camilla Seaman by clicking here.
from the series The Last Iceberg © Camille Seaman
Tema Stauffer is a storyteller. Her winter landscapes are quiet and peaceful and one can feel the crisp and cleansing winter air in her photographs. Tema recently curated a selection of photographs for Culturehall titled: Winter. You can find it by clicking here, and you can re-visit our conversation with Tema Stauffer by clicking here.
Front Yard, 2003 ©Tema Stauffer
Céline Clanet has been photographing the Sami in the Arctic Circle. She has a keen eye for details and atmosphere. Her imagery captures the magical realism of Sampi. You can re-visit our conversation with Céline Clanet by clicking here.
Looking for the Lost Reindeer, 2005 - from "Máze" series, © Céline Clanet
Friday, December 18, 2009
Culturehall: Winter
Head over to Culturehall to see the latest curated of selection of art - this time selected and introduced by artist and curator Tema Stauffer: www.culturehall.com.
Tema selected imagery reflecting the psychology of the season and chose works by Mark Burnette, Jessica M. Kaufman, Mickey Kerr and Jeff Otto O'Brien.
You can re-visit our conversations with Tema by clicking here and our conversation with Jessica by clicking here.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tonight: CCNY's Silent Photo Benefit Auction
from CCNY:
Gentleman No. 28 from the series Untitled Gentleman, 2008 © Erica Allen
Contemporary and Vintage Photographs
Wednesday, December 2, 6-8 pm
Calumet Photographic, 22 West 22nd Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
Help support CCNY's programs at the annual benefit auction. This year's auction features work by a choice selection of hot emerging photographers, a collection of vintage photographs, and exciting works by established photographers.
Participating artists include Erica Allen, Mariette Pathy Allen, Merry Alpern, Timothy Briner, Susan Burnstine, Megan Cump, Amy Elkins, Jon Feinstein, Larry Fink, Martine Fougeron, Samuel Gottscho, Henry Horenstein, Leigh Ledare, David Levinthal, Wayne Liu, Alex Morel, Lori Nix, Leah Oates, Nadhar Omar, Stuart O'Sullivan, Francesca Romeo, Lynn Saville, Aaron Siskind, Tema Stauffer, Will Steacy, Amy Stein, Joni Sternbach, Eric Weeks, William Wegman, Susan Wides, Shigeki Yoshida, Bernard Yenelouis, and many others, as CCNY continues to showcase exciting work at a range of prices.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tonight: Humble Fund Raising Party at Eponymy
from Humble Arts Foundation:
In an attempt to further meet our fundraising goals, Humble Arts Foundation, in collaboration with Eponymy, is hosting a Spring Cleaning Sale and Art Party. Details are as follow:
Date: Friday, May 29, 2009
Time: 6pm – 10pm
Rsvp required: rsvp@shopeponymy.com
20% off storewide sale*
30% - 50% off Humble limited editions
Eponymy
466 Bergen Street (Park Slope)
Brooklyn, NY 11217
http://shopeponymy.com
We are also pleased to announce that Eponymy, a supporter of emerging artists, will also debut its Spring exhibition at this event. Participating artists include: John Andrew, Melisa Beveridge, Gerald Edwards III, Ann Woo, Peter Riesett, Jon Feinstein, Samuel Morgan, Emiliano Granado, Tema Stauffer, Mikael Kennedy, Yeni Mao and Athena Waligore.
Attendees of this event are welcome to join our neighbors at Melt for drink specials between 6pm – 10pm. http://meltrestaurant.com
*DISCOUNT APPLIES TO REGULARLY-PRICED, CLOTHING, SHOES, CANDLES, COSMETICS, AND VINTAGE JEWELRY ITEMS
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Nymphoto on NPR's Picture Show

Nymphoto's "good old-fashioned girl power" is featured on NPR's Picture Show.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Last Chance: Tema Stauffer & Francesca Romeo @ Daniel Cooney

Johan, Main Street, Binghamton, NY/ 2008/The Ballad of Sad Young Men © Tema Stauffer
Saturday will be the last day to catch the work of Tema Stauffer & Francesca Romeo at Daniel Cooney Fine Art. It's a stimulating show, don't miss it!
Friday, April 3, 2009
Tema Stauffer Interview

Jacob (Red Brick Alley) © Tema Stauffer
Head over to Tema's blog PlamAire to read an interview with her conducted by Pratt student Alex Segreti. You can also revisit our conversation with Tema, by clicking here.
The two interviews compliment each other nicely.
You can currently see Tema 's work at Daniel Cooney Fine Art in New York - through April 18, 2009.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Nymphoto: 2 Shows, 1 Book & 1 Call for Entries
UPDATE: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS EXTENDED UNTIL APRIL 7, 2009 11:59 PM!
The Nymphoto Collective is pleased to announce its first self-published book & the accompanying exhibit at Sasha Wolf Gallery.
"Nymphoto: Conversations Volume 1" is a collection of interviews (initially published as blog entries) with various women photographers in varying stages of their careers. The interviews reveal not just the work of the artist, but discuss the thought process involved in the creation of work. While some conversations are more revealing than others, they all expose the persona behind the work; they are all a brief glimpse into the minds and thoughts behind the art. In order to establish continuity, all of the questions in the interviews are in essence the same. General and non-specific, they allow the artist to determine how much of the process and self she wants to expose, lending her the power to dictate.
Accompanying the release of "Nymphoto: Conversations Volume 1" is the exhibit of the same title at Sasha Wolf Gallery in New York.
Nymphoto: Conversations Volume 1
Group Show III
Sasha Wolf Gallery
10 Leonard Street
New York, NY
May 6 – 20, 2009
Opening Reception: May 6, 6 – 8PM.
Work by Michele Abeles, Juliana Beasley, Rona Chang, Nina Buesing Corvallo, Candace Gottschalk, Jessica M. Kaufman, Klea McKenna, Michal Chelbin, Talia Greene, Maria Passarotti, Susana Raab, Emily Shur, Tema Stauffer, Jane Tam, Garie Waltzer & Jennifer Williams.
Nymphoto is equally excited to announce its 4th group show and the collective's first public call for entries.
Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf Gallery - Call for Entries
Nymphoto is looking for the best in female contemporary and emerging photography. Work will be curated by the core members of the collective in conjunction with highly respected curator and gallery owner Sasha Wolf. Works selected will be included in "Nymphoto Presents at Sasha Wolf Gallery" and be on view from May 23 to June 6, 2009. Sasha Wolf Gallery is located in lower Manhattan, conveniently located and easily accessible from both Chelsea and Dumbo, two of New York's artistic centers.
Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf Gallery
Group Show IV
10 Leonard Street
New York, NY
May 23-June 6, 2009
Opening Reception: May 28, 6-8 PM
Nymphoto is a collective of women in photography that provides a supportive community for (its) artists and strives to send a positive message to the creative world: We firmly believe in the power of community. Through "Conversations" we are able to expand our community by including new artists in each interview and present their work to our growing audience. The collective is a fusion of disciplines: the scholastic, the representative and the museum. The call for entries exhibit serves to expand on this idea and our growing community, and aims to encourage connections and discourse among female photographers. The efforts of the collective are directed to correct the gender imbalance that continues to prevail in today's (art) world.
Find the submissions guidelines at www.nymphoto.com.
(ed.) Submission Deadline: extended until Tuesday April 7, 2009 11:59 PM EST
For more information, please contact Nymphoto at contact(at)nymphoto.com.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Upcoming: Tema Stauffer & Francesca Romeo @ Daniel Cooney
Romeo knows her subjects intimately as they are fellow artists and patrons of the bar she owns on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Drawing upon the aesthetic of both film noir and classical painting, she is interested in documenting her circle of friends that are emblematic of the new bohemia. She seeks out subjects that are affected by gentrification and that exhibit characteristics contrary to the mainstream in order to elicit a sense of psychological malaise. Stauffer is exhibiting selected images from a work-in-progress inspired by the song, “A Ballad of Sad Young Men.” All of the subjects are photographed on Main Street in Binghamton, a small industrial city located in central New York well past its heyday. The young men she photographs are high school students and transient early twenty-somethings. Her approach contrasts to Romeo’s because she finds her subjects on the street and introduces herself as a photographer. While lacking a familiarity, there is a sexual tension that surfaces in the exchange between the photographer and the subjects. Francesca Romeo has exhibited her work at PS 122, Art in General, A.M. Richards Gallery, Brooklyn and the University of Southern Illinois. She received her MFA from Pratt in 2005.
Francesca Romeo & Tema Stauffer
Daniel Cooney Fine Art Gallery
New York, NY
Feb. 19-April 18, 2009
Opening Reception: Thursday, Feb. 19 6-8 p.m.
You can revisit our conversation with Tema, by clicking here.
(via Daniel Cooney Fine Art)
Daniel Cooney Fine Art is very proud to announce a two-person exhibition of photographic portraits by Francesca Romeo and Tema Stauffer.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Photolucida: And the winners are.....
Head over to the Photolucida blog, to find out who the winners are: http://photolucidapdx.blogspot.com/2008/12/and-results-are-in.html
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Women in the Arts
We are grateful to Tema Stauffer for posting about her history with Nymphoto today and to provide for newcomers to the collective some insight as to the history of the collective.
It is really exciting to see such an emergence in women artists, entrepreneurs, gallerists & curators.
20 years ago there were pioneers like Julie Saul, Mary Ellen Mark & Nan Goldin. But it seems often they had to operate in a vacuum. Times have changed and the Internet had no small part in it. Whether it is talented women photographers like Tema , the innovative 20x200 or sites like Women in Photography, blogs such as I heart photograph, the Ask Me I've Got Answers campaign or the outstanding Sasha Wolf Gallery (all run by women!) --the Internet has allowed for quicker and stronger community building worldwide (The Nymphoto blog has readers in about 50 countries!).
And thank you also to all of you readers & supporters.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
A Conversation with Tema Stauffer
Whether she is photographing people at a dog show, drifters out West or an ordinary gas station in the


Birdfeeder, 2001 & Umbrella, 2001 ©Tema Stauffer
TS: I grew up in
Probably the most significant thing about my childhood is the fact that since the moment I could talk, I was in total opposition to the idea of being a girl in any of the expected ways. My mother tells stories about how I went to grade school dressed as a cowboy, a carpenter, a clown, a tramp and a baseball player. I was essentially a scrawny and sensitive tomboy- willful and rebellious at times, but also studious and introspective. In physicality and temperament, as well as in my various curiosities and empathies, I was not unlike a 1970’s version of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird and Mick Kelly from The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
After the painful adolescence of a gay teenager growing up in a Midwestern town in the eighties, followed by a tumultuous and self-destructive period in my twenties, I am now a recently turned thirty-five year old transplant living in



Winter Gas Station, Front Yard, 2003 & Tampa Gas Station, 2007 ©Tema Stauffer
NP: How did you discover photography and what inspires you?
TS: My mother encouraged me to take my first photography class at the local art center when I was a junior in high school. I fell in love with photography immediately – it was the perfect medium to combine my interest in stories and images. My first pictures were of friends in cemeteries, abandoned buildings, rooftops and cornfields, as well as pictures of intriguing and seductive strangers who I spotted on the street – basically, the typical adolescent stuff. From as early as my first photography class at
struggle, one that continues to this day. What inspires me has of course changed over time - from friends and girlfriends, to quirky American environments, to the drug and crime riddled neighborhoods of Chicago, to quiet and minimal landscapes, to more recently, the history and dark undercurrent of the American West and its characters.


Car Skeleton, 2008 & White Horse, 2007 ©Tema Stauffer
NP: The other day, looking at a prospectus from your 2004 “American Stills” exhibit at The Rochester Art Center, I was struck again by how serene these landscapes are and how you seem very comfortable with solitude. In your interview on My Art Space with Brian Sherwin, you mention that you are – or were – shy. You recently posted portraits of people you encountered during your travels on your blog. Is photographing people who are at first strangers more challenging for you than photographing landscapes or organized/structured events (Chicago Police “Ride-alongs”,“Dog Show”)?
TS: I’m shy and I’m not shy. I’m a loner and I am people person. One of the aspects of photography I love the most is its ability to allow one some access to people and to experiences that might not otherwise happen. However clumsily I might approach these interactions at times, I am certainly motivated by an interest in people and a desire for intimacy.
I do appreciate solitude and empty space. I can happily travel alone for days at a time but I can barely make it a day in this city without some substantial email correspondence and a nocturnal phone conversation with a friend, as I am quite driven by communication, emotions and attachments.
I think photographing anything presents a set of challenges. Photographing people one knows intimately is challenging. Photographing strangers is challenging. Photographing an empty parking lot is challenging as it a might not be as obviously compelling as a human subject. The biggest challenge in photography for me is figuring what I want to photograph, and why, and how to put myself in proximity to that particular subject, whatever it may be.


Jesus Boy, 2007 & Spanish Fork, 2008 ©Tema Stauffer
NP: You mentioned your interest in the American West and recently posted images and stories on your excellent blog: www.palmaire.blogspot.com Your previous work also depicts
TS: Actually, I did apply for a McKnight Fellowship in 2005 while I still lived in
NP: What’s next?
TS: I am hoping to make my next trip to
NP: Thank you!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Reminder: Opening Reception Tonight
Tonight is the opening reception for 8 at
The series of exhibitions launches showcasing the works of Tema Stauffer and Kyoko Hamada.
White Horse © Tema Stauffer
8
Alison Brady
Alexandra Catiere
Jessica Dimmock
Kyoko Hamada
Tema Stauffer
Ryoko Suzuki
Shen Wei
July 11th-Sept 5th, 2008
Artists Reception:
July 11th, 2008 7pm-9pm
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tema Stauffer, Kyoko Hamada in 8 @ Randall Scott Gallery
Randall Scott Gallery always shows interesting work and certainly gives women artists a fair shake.
A great new summer show is opening this Friday at Randall Scott Gallery:

Gas Sation © Tema Stauffer
8
Alison Brady
Alexandra Catiere
Jessica Dimmock
Kyoko Hamada
Tema Stauffer
Ryoko Suzuki
Shen Wei
July 11th-Sept 5th, 2008
Artists Reception:
July 11th, 2008 7pm-9pm
Monday, June 16, 2008
Art Space Talk: Tema Stauffer
Head over to MYARTSPACE>BLOG to read Brian Sherwin's interview with the formidable Tema Stauffer. (tx Rona)
Winter Gas Station © Tema Stauffer
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sarah Wilmer, Tema Stauffer , Kyoko Hamada & many more @ Randall Scott Gallery
Randall Scott Gallery always shows great work and a lot of women artists. Currently on view is the work of Sarah Wilmer and from July 12th -26th, 2008 Randall Scott Gallery (which also recently exhibited the work of Nymphoto's Margot Quan Knight) will show the work of Tema Stauffer and Kyoko Hamada. Followed by the work of Jessica Dimmock and a little later the work of Alison Brady.Find out more here.
White Horse © Tema Staufer