Art evolves as quickly as we do, and thanks to social media, self-portraiture is having a moment. While perfectly staged iPhone photos taken at strategic angles might be the least artful images out there, it’s interesting to consider the selfie’s artistic function. Like Narcissus staring into a pool, most of us are more than willing to snap flattering photos of ourselves and share them online as part of some bizarre quest for validation.
So what does it mean to make ourselves the subjects of our photographs to reach such a questionable end? Your guess is as good as mine, but Kylli Sparre — an artist with a decidedly conceptual flair — is bringing back the artistry that we seem to have lost along the way.
Sparre started her artistic career as a ballet dancer, but when she realized that dancing professionally was not the right path for her, she began looking for a new outlet.
“When I discovered photography,” she writes, “I never looked back.”
As is the case for most interdisciplinary creators, it’s clear that Sparre’s performance artistry informs her visual work.
While we meticulously stage and curate the images that we want others to see, Sparre’s collections grow more organically. She focuses on each individual image and waits for any underlying themes to reveal themselves over time.
“With each image,” she explains,”I look to capture a feeling — something that I can relate to. That is where I get my motivation to take the next picture.”
While not all of her photographs are self-portraits, her focus remains the same. The goal is to compose images that tell stories.
In a way that’s largely unfamiliar to society as it functions today, the subject of Sparre’s photos is the narrative, and not the person in front of the lens.
The person in each photograph only matters insofar as their presence helps convey the composition’s message. Beyond that, self-centric self-portraiture holds very little interest for her. That concept is as refreshing as it is enigmatic.
And it’s an enigma that we may all need to consider before we fall into seriously egotistical territory.
While Sparre herself may appear in some of these images, she makes it perfectly clear that it’s not about her. In fact, it’s not really about anyone.
The conceptual side of Sparre’s work is what keeps her going. According to the artist herself, “It’s not really about the particular person being photographed, but more about the overall feeling.”
Because taking photographs — professionally or otherwise — is part of everyday life at this point, it’s easy to lose touch with the medium’s potential. Luckily for us, talented, innovative artists like Kylli Sparre are here to remind us that taking and viewing photographs can be a transformative experience.
To see more of Sparre’s work, check out her website. You can also follow her on Facebook for regular updates.