Maja Daniels
‘Gertrud’
by Maja Daniels, published by Void.
In 1667 a 12-year-old girl, Gertrud Svensdotter, was accused of walking on water in Älvdalen, Sweden. This event marked the beginning of the Swedish witch-hunts, a period of mass hysteria and horror in Älvdalen and its neighbouring regions. The forthcoming book ‘Gertrud’ by artist Maja Daniels uses photography to reconfigure the history and myth of these events, igniting a contemporary dialogue around Gertrud.
Gertrud
Maja Daniels—who has family ties to the town of Älvdalen—grew up hearing her grandmother speak of the stories surrounding Gertrud Svensdotter. The resulting witch trials, now known as ‘Det stora oväsendet’ (the big clamour), claimed the lives of over 300 people across 8-years. Centuries later, these events, almost incomprehensible to modern sensibilities, are still viewed as one of the most macabre and dark periods in Sweden’s history.
“Within this series I use photography as a tool for mythmaking. Myths are open to interpretations but refuse to be fully locked down. Photographs function in a similar way. The core of what is expressed in an image lies somewhere in the unseen or in its silent associations.”
Maja Daniels
“The act of shaping my own rituals and creating new myths that draw on the elements of already existing ones, becomes a way for me to expand on and challenge certain historical constructs and to show how a visual narrative can recreate our relationship with the past, present and future.”
Most of the photographs in ‘Gertrud’ were created by Daniels through interventions in the forest. Utilising the landscape, a cast of characters and seemingly talismanic objects, she has drawn upon a surrealist desire to ‘re-enchant the world’. In reaction to the present-day view diminishing the value of forests to mere ‘resources’, her work re-envisions them as once more places of stories, myth and magic. Interspersed with Daniel’s photographs are those from the archive of Tenn Lars Persson (1878-1938) whose work she engaged with in her previous book ‘Elf Dalia’ (MACK). As the book ‘Gertrud’ unfolds the intertwined sets of photographs disorientate the viewer, unsettling ideas around place and linear time.
The Special Edition
Limited edition of 10
The 'Gertrud' Special Edition is a limited release, featuring only 10 copies, each accompanied by a fine art print, numbered and signed by Maja Daniels. The archival pigment print is produced on Canson Infinity Baryta Prestige II (340g) paper, with a print size of 24.5 x 20 cm (image size: 24 x 19.6 cm). This edition is limited to 10 prints, plus 2 artist's proofs (APs). Each set also comes with a Riso-printed Obi, making it even more unique, and includes a certificate of authenticity issued by Void.
Gertrud
23 x 28,4 cm
168 pages
900 copies
Cloth Quarterbound + Foiled Hardcover
ISBN 978-618-5479-34-3
Special Edition
Limited edition of 10 copies
With a fine art print numbered and signed by Maja Daniels
Archival Pigment Print on Canson® Infinity Baryta Prestige II (340g)
Print size: 24,5 x 20 cm (Image size: 24 x 19,6 cm )
Edition of 10 + 2 AP
+ Certificate of Authenticity
Maja Daniels
Maja Daniels (b. 1985) is a Swedish photography-based artist whose work centres on history, memory, and how these notions affect our view of the present. Currently based between London and Gothenburg, her work has been exhibited in Paris, London, New York, Amsterdam and Bilbao. She is the recipient of numerous awards, grants and fellowships and, since 2020, she has held a lecturer position in film at the Institution for Film, Photography and Literary Composition at Gothenburg University (HDK-Valand).
Featured in
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✳︎ Grand Prize Winner — Hariban Award 2024
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GREECE, Void
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Photograph: Maja Daniels
Archival Photographs: Tenn Lars Persson (1878–1938)
Concept: João Linneu, Myrto Steirou
Printing: Jelgavas tipogrāfija
Binding: Jelgavas tipogrāfija
Language: English
Font: Worcester Rounded by Linotype
Maja Daniels © for the photographs
Void © for this edition