Carl-Mikael Ström
Carl-Mikael Ström (b. 1986, Sweden) He studied photography at Fatamorgana in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Photography is often Ström’s starting point, but never the end. Working across photography, painting, and writing, he explores the tension between what is seen and what is felt, questioning how an image can evoke both shared and unique experiences for the viewer and creator alike. His work is deeply personal—rooted in experience, relationships, and existence—an attempt to make sense of his own being.
Through the use of diverse materials, painting, chemicals and alternative printing techniques, he physically manipulates his images, drawing out their deeper truths and revealing how he sees and feels each moment.
Rather than defining himself solely as a photographer or artist, he sees himself as someone who assembles—bringing together fragments of time, material, and emotion. His work is driven by love, both for the act of creation and for what art can reveal about the human condition.
Lately, Ström has been drawn to the question: When does a photograph stop being a photograph and become merely an image? Each image is treated as unique, both embracing and defying the reproducibility of photography. Much like a painting, no two works are the same, even when derived from the same source.
He believes an image can take endless forms and that the passage of time reveals itself. Convinced that there is always more behind what you intend to say, he embraces the restraints inherent in creation.