Jens Andersson and Bemo Lundgren are the kind of guys who most of my friends who are boys want to be like. They're both more than adequate skateboarders and the things that each of them make to pay their bills are pretty awesome too. Jens works full-time as a photographer and has shot advertising campaigns for lots of big brands, some of which we've featured in our magazine. And if you ever were to get a tattoo on your stomach, Bemo would probably be the artist you'd want responsible for it.
Stepping outside of their regular working frames, the two spent last autumn making art together. Their work turned out great and a little strange, reminiscent of some surreal dream that you can’t decide if you want to stay inside or not. The result, Insnöade Mitt i Sommaren [Snowbound in the Middle of the Summer], is currently being exhibited in Stockholm, so to save you the trip, I talked them into letting me post it here, too.
VICE: Hi guys. What's your relationship to each other?
Jens Andersson: We are both skateboarders and we met the first time in Prague in 2003. We have a mutual respect to each other as individuals as well as we have similar backgrounds. We have a lot of things in common.
Jens Andersson: We are both skateboarders and we met the first time in Prague in 2003. We have a mutual respect to each other as individuals as well as we have similar backgrounds. We have a lot of things in common.
Annons
How come you two began collaborating?
Bemo Lundgren: It's something that we've talked about for some time. I guess we just grabbed an opportunity that came about.
Jens: Yeah, and we've both been working with art for a pretty long time. What about the photos – Jens, did you snap them for this project only, or are they old photos that you had laying around?
Initially, we snapped some photos for this project alone. But I ended up using photos from my personal archive. As I looked at some of my older stuff, I realised that those photos were pretty obvious for this project. So what do these pictures represent to you guys?
Jens: To me, they represent being on your way somewhere and dealing with new impressions. I think Bemo's drawings make the impression of absurdum.
Bemo: We allowed a lot of time for the creative process and in the early stages. We spoke a lot about making something ambiguous and annoying in a subtle way. At a first glance, they look like normal photos, but then, when you look closer, things don't seem to be right. We made the collages together, and I painted the characters in Jens's photos. I like the contrast that comes about putting [the characters] in real environments.
Bemo Lundgren: It's something that we've talked about for some time. I guess we just grabbed an opportunity that came about.
Jens: Yeah, and we've both been working with art for a pretty long time. What about the photos – Jens, did you snap them for this project only, or are they old photos that you had laying around?
Initially, we snapped some photos for this project alone. But I ended up using photos from my personal archive. As I looked at some of my older stuff, I realised that those photos were pretty obvious for this project. So what do these pictures represent to you guys?
Jens: To me, they represent being on your way somewhere and dealing with new impressions. I think Bemo's drawings make the impression of absurdum.
Bemo: We allowed a lot of time for the creative process and in the early stages. We spoke a lot about making something ambiguous and annoying in a subtle way. At a first glance, they look like normal photos, but then, when you look closer, things don't seem to be right. We made the collages together, and I painted the characters in Jens's photos. I like the contrast that comes about putting [the characters] in real environments.
The title of the project sounds pretty depressing to me.
Jens: We are both really positive individuals, so to me there's nothing really depressing about that. I like to play games on words. It's more a reference to the creative bubble that we were inside at the time of making these pictures. The picture with the clock, På Tokyo Tid [On Tokyo Time] is how I imagine that homesickness would look like. Is that what you guys had in mind?
Jens: Travel is a huge part of my life and it's a lot about looking for new impressions, places and flavours. So nostalgia is a natural part of life when I end certain projects and begin working on others.
Bemo: I feel pretty unsettled sometimes when I've been travelling lots, but at the same time, that’s a feeling I really like to have.
Jens: We are both really positive individuals, so to me there's nothing really depressing about that. I like to play games on words. It's more a reference to the creative bubble that we were inside at the time of making these pictures. The picture with the clock, På Tokyo Tid [On Tokyo Time] is how I imagine that homesickness would look like. Is that what you guys had in mind?
Jens: Travel is a huge part of my life and it's a lot about looking for new impressions, places and flavours. So nostalgia is a natural part of life when I end certain projects and begin working on others.
Bemo: I feel pretty unsettled sometimes when I've been travelling lots, but at the same time, that’s a feeling I really like to have.
Annons
Are the urban environments in the pictures some sort of love poem to cities?
Bemo: I guess you can say that. But we wanted to find a balance with organic stuff as well.
Jens: Urban environments are always present in my work. I think it's interesting to use a city for something that it's not designed to be used for. Do you miss something now when the project is done? You seem to have spent a lot of time together.
Bemo: It’s been awesome working together with Jens. We still see each other and talk a lot anyway, so you never know when we will do something together again.
Jens: As Bemo has moved to Berlin, I’m really going to miss our meetings. So I guess I’ll have to get my ass over there in the coming months. Sounds like fun. Thanks, guys! The exhibition JensBemo - Insnöade Mitt i Sommaren is on until the 26th of June at Scandic Malmen, Cocktailbaren, Götgatan 49 in Stockholm, Sweden. For more stuff that Jens does, visit thejens.com For more stuff that Bemo does, visit thebemo.comMore on photographers we like:Richard Kern's Films Are Still Shocking as HellI Had Lunch with Larry ClarkAsger Carlsen's New Book Freaks Him Out
Bemo: I guess you can say that. But we wanted to find a balance with organic stuff as well.
Jens: Urban environments are always present in my work. I think it's interesting to use a city for something that it's not designed to be used for. Do you miss something now when the project is done? You seem to have spent a lot of time together.
Bemo: It’s been awesome working together with Jens. We still see each other and talk a lot anyway, so you never know when we will do something together again.
Jens: As Bemo has moved to Berlin, I’m really going to miss our meetings. So I guess I’ll have to get my ass over there in the coming months. Sounds like fun. Thanks, guys! The exhibition JensBemo - Insnöade Mitt i Sommaren is on until the 26th of June at Scandic Malmen, Cocktailbaren, Götgatan 49 in Stockholm, Sweden. For more stuff that Jens does, visit thejens.com For more stuff that Bemo does, visit thebemo.comMore on photographers we like:Richard Kern's Films Are Still Shocking as HellI Had Lunch with Larry ClarkAsger Carlsen's New Book Freaks Him Out
