The Art of Becoming: Photography as Performance and Liberation

How would you describe your photographic style, and how has it evolved over the years?

I started with self-portraits when I was 16. It was all analog, honest, and intimate for about ten years. At the same time, I got better at Photoshop. Then, around ten years ago, I started the journey of green screen work by removing backgrounds and using stock photos to add new backgrounds and weird things and create fantastical stories and images. They had a lot of storytelling to them, and was always in some way unlikely. I like to make anything possible, so I have fallen into the mouth of polar bears and riding grizzly bears, walked in New York streets with zebras, and traveled digitally to many places. I jumped on the train when Photoshop’s Generative Fill appeared a few years ago. I got good and dedicated to the tool, which eventually led to the foundation of my work today: reimagining self-portraits with AI to assign the portraits as male and design AI clothing. I also eventually got fully dedicated to the beauty and fashion expression I had only played with earlier.

What does "beauty" mean to you through the lens?

Beauty means everything and, most of all, happiness and happy art. Where there is beauty, there is happiness. I know this because I have seen a lot of ugliness and sadness in my long life. I always used the lens to spot beauty and perfection, and beauty ended up being much more important to me than reality or authenticity, even though I strive to do both. So, beauty photography is a perfect expression for me as it allows me to see perfection and create positive art, making me happy. It doesn't matter if the photos aren't real. I mean, with AI and all the retouching etc. It matters that they are beautiful and even hyper-beautiful.

How does fashion inform or transform the narratives in your photography?

Fashion has always been my way of playing with self-representation and identity. It has a unique possibility of playing with personas and identity, which I do the most in my photography. In every photo, I’m someone new: the street kid, the mafia boss, the successful athlete, the teenage girl, the hip-hop kid, etc. And to me, that’s what fashion is.

In what ways does your own identity shape the subjects, themes, or aesthetics of your work?

It defines my work, as these AI photos allow me to be whoever I want aesthetically. After AI, I have a much more complimentary relationship with my identity and allow myself to be many things. I don't need to be one thing, and people on social media, etc., don't need to know me. I consider my identity a beautiful mess, and that shapes all my work.

How do you approach gender in your photography — both in terms of representation and visual storytelling?

With Female2Male and all the under-category series of Female2Male, I approach gender as something fantastical and free as I, with AI, can be male, female, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, and everything all at once. I choose freely what story to tell every time I open my computer. I’m a storyteller. I studied acting and creative writing and considered myself a performer. The best part was always to become someone else, play out various parts of myself, and create characters.

What are your thoughts on AI in photography and art?

I hope people will be more open to it in the future. People on social media are so angry with AI; at the same time, they don’t know or understand how AI is used. They just leash out against it. It’s a fantastic tool if you learn to integrate it into your photography. For me it means I can be independent and work alone as AI helps me fill every role of fashion photography myself, such as hair styling, wardrobe, retouching, etc. Collaborations are great. But to me, working alone is perfect.

Do you see yourself more as a documentarian, visual storyteller, or something else?

I see myself as a visual storyteller. With my background as a photographer, writer, and filmmaker, I was born to tell stories through images or moving images. But I see myself most as a creator of fictional characters.

As a visual creator, do you feel responsible for shaping culture or influencing perspectives?

Absolutely. One of my biggest dreams is always to teach people they can be free and different. It’s a bold choice to be different in a world where many aren't. You can do things exactly how you want to and don't care what everyone tells you. I love to inspire freedom.

Can you share a pivotal moment in your journey that redefined your relationship with photography?

Studying at NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ graduate film production program. It changed my work and entire life. I learned cinematography, storytelling, and entertainment, which brought me into a whole nother world of photography. It made me want to create engaging characters and voices that would entertain. Before NYU, I was a weirdo. After I got interested in popular culture. Everything is love and hate, though. Everything is about balancing the mainstream with the weird.

Who are you in your photos, and who are you behind the camera? Are they the same person?

In the photos, I’m everyone I would like to be for one day. I love to play pretty girl and pretty boy. Behind the camera, I’m a 40 years old queer woman who doesn't care much about being pretty or about what anyone thinks.

What do you want your voice to say in the broader conversation of contemporary art and image-making?

Be whoever you want to be. You don't need to choose one thing. You can change your mind tomorrow. You can completely change tomorrow. It’s never too late or too early. Do your own thing even if it means you will be hated. Be bold. Be free.

Photographer: Anja Høvik Strømsted @anjahovikstromsted