Nan Goldin on Swedish Photography: Strömholm, Petersen, Engström

In an interview with artpress, Nan Goldin discusses the work of three generations of Swedish photographers—Christer Strömholm, Anders Petersen, and JH Engström—whose intimate, risk-taking approach to photography she deeply admires. Goldin first encountered Strömholm and Petersen in 1986 at the Houston FotoFest, and their work confirmed her own artistic direction. She describes Strömholm as the darkest, having photographed the void, and Petersen as the only other photographer who has gone as close to both hell and paradise. Goldin praises their lack of voyeurism, their respect for subjects, and their willingness to expose themselves. She contrasts Strömholm's respectful portrayal of transsexuals and drag queens in 1950s-60s Paris with Diane Arbus's more invasive approach. Goldin notes that Strömholm's book "Les Amies de Place Blanche" aligns with her own views on gender identity. She also discusses Petersen's image of a dying man in the street and his self-portrait receiving fellatio as examples of radical honesty. Regarding JH Engström, Goldin sees him as closer to Petersen, and notes his growth, particularly in his book "Sketch of Paris." The interview coincides with simultaneous exhibitions of the three photographers in Paris in late 2013. Goldin, who lives between Paris and New York, has collected Strömholm's prints and invited Petersen and Engström to the Rencontres d'Arles in 2009.