Erik Gustafsson

Erik Gustafsson primarily works with photography. In his work, he explores the relationship between the photographic image and the process of transformation. By emphasizing the material dimension of photography, the act of reproduction itself becomes an artistic tool. The layers that emerge from the repeated overlaying of images not only open up narrative questions but also raise the issue of authenticity and the original. In this creative process, the act of making becomes a central moment of engagement. The ongoing cycle of photographing, printing, discarding, and repeating allows the work to literally “grow.” Gustafsson doesn’t just question the finished image, but also the acts that bring it into being—the continuous revisions, the failures, and the emergence of new perspectives. This ongoing process of transformation gives the act of making its own significance, where the result is as fluid and unfinished as the memories it represents. His works are not merely visual records but also reflections on the processes of remembering, decay, and renewal. They question the capacity of the medium to preserve past moments while simultaneously deforming them, inviting the viewer to reflect on the boundaries between the documentary and the constructed. In this fusion of reproduction and transformation, visual narratives emerge, drawing the viewer into a dialogue between past and present, form and destruction, memory and forgetfulness.