Anja Niemi
Porcelain, 2009
Giclee limited edition print on 350 gsm acid free paper
Hospital waiting area
13th Floor, Royal London Hospital
Anja Niemi unveiled a series of photographs entitled Porcelain, 2009 in the waiting room at the Royal London Hospital. The artist creates staged photographs depicting white horses as light and silent subjects. Niemi draws from the rich visual symbolism of Dutch vanitas still life paintings. Through her carefully composed imagery, Niemi invites us to contemplate the fragile nature of existence.
About the artist
Anja Niemi (b. 1976, Norway) is a Norwegian artist known for her cinematic, narrative-driven photography. She studied at the London College of Printing and Parsons School of Design in New York. Working as both photographer and subject, Niemi constructs meticulously staged scenes that explore themes of identity, self-performance, and the tension between reality and fiction.
Niemi’s distinctive self-portraiture examines the complexity of female roles, using carefully styled and often surreal environments to blur the line between the real and the imagined. Her work is often described as a blend of photography and performance, where each image tells a fragment of a larger story.
She has exhibited internationally, including solo shows at Fotografiska (New York, Stockholm) and the Photo London art fair. Niemi’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, and Harper’s Bazaar, and her photographs are held in major collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the SCAD Museum of Art. She has published several monographs, including The Woman Who Never Existed (2016) and In Character (2020).