Awakening

Description

Awakening is an intimate documentation of a loosely compound, leaderless, and separatist spiritual awakening movement taking shape. Elin Berge has taken part in different kinds of spiritual women's circles in Sweden, to capture its people and rituals firsthand. The women she photographs believe in the return of "the original Goddess", a divine feminine essence that is calling women from inside their own bodies. This global movement believes the awakened divine feminine is going to make women rise all over the world to lead humanity into a new paradigm with a sustainable future and a peaceful, balanced world. The photographs show women giving into their spirituality in rituals, seeking comfort with each other in sisterhood and making efforts to own their bodies and sexualities. The work opens up a dialogue about religion and belief in secular Sweden and our specific approach to individualism and independence. Furthermore, it deals with questions on gender equality and the sisterhood rising all over the world at the moment, most recently the #metoo movement on social media.

Elin Berge lives and works in Umea, Sweden. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the Swedish Arts Grants Committee and the Swedish Authors Fund. This is her fourth monograph and has had several solo exhibitions and her work is represented in the collection of the Hasselblad Foundation. She gives artist talks and lectures regularly.