Photography exhibition: Temporarily closed
During the pandemic, photographer Johan Sellgren took photos of his daughter in empty cultural institutions. A temporary exhibition of his photos is now on view at the Swedish History Museum. On view June 17 – August 27, 2023.
Background
In the spring of 2020, a global pandemic put culture on pause. Cinemas stood empty, theatres lacked audiences and museums had no visitors.
Questions were raised about the significance of culture. What happens to a society when it has no active cultural life? What role does culture play in people’s lives – how does it affect our view of ourselves and of the world?
To investigate some of these questions, photographer Johan Sellgren conducted a project together with his daughter Selma, then five years old. Selma was photographed as a lone visitor in empty public spaces.
![](https://historiska.se/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Historiska-museet_Johan-Sellgren_Tillfälligt-stängt_stående_726x484.jpg)
Photo: Johan Sellgren.
The exhibition
One of the places that opened its doors for Selma and Johan was the Swedish History Museum. In the exhibition you can see this photo and a selection of Johan’s other photos from the series.
![](https://historiska.se/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Historiska-museet_Johan-Sellgren_Tillfälligt-stängt_teater_1920x1080.jpg)
Photo: Johan Sellgren.