Axel Annica Karlsson Rixon

Axel Annica Karlsson Rixon (formerly Annica Karlsson Rixon) is a Swedish artist, specialising in photography. Their work can be read in a documentary and conceptual photographic tradition where place, politics and people’s social conditions are interwoven. In the 1990s, Karlsson Rixon was part of the feminist wave of young photographers who managed to create a stable bridge between photography and contemporary art. Today, their career spans more than three decades and, in addition to a long list of works and exhibitions, has led to a doctorate in photography.

Karlsson Rixon has a degree from the Nordic School of Photography, Stockholm (1985 - 1988) and a Master of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, U.S.A. (1995 - 1997). Further studies include School of Photography, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (2004) and Doctoral exchange program, Rhetoric Department, University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A. (2009 - 2010). In 2016 Karlsson Rixon received their Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), subject: Photography (Fotografisk gestaltning), from Valand Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

In addition to an extensive exhibition programme, Karlsson Rixon is a frequent guest teacher and lecturer in Sweden as well as abroad. Between 2003 and 2007 they were an adjunct professor, responsible for the master program, at the School of Photography at the University of Gothenburg. Other teaching positions worth mentioning include: lecturer, School of Photography and Film, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden, substitute for Professor Tuija Lindström (1999 - 2000) and lecturer, Department of Fine Art, Konstfack – University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm (2000 - 2001).

Karlsson Rixon had their public breakthrough in the 1990s. Early recognition came with the 1991 exhibition Lika med at the Moderna Museet, Stockholm. Karlsson Rixon’s early works have a surrealistic approach, exploring issues such as body and gender. The end of the 1990s were spent on the West Coast of the United States of America, where Karlsson Rixon studied at University of California, Berkeley. Her time in California included spending countless hours along the motorway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The resulting works, Hands and Monochromes (1998) and Truckers and Others (1999) were the fruits of Karlsson Rixon photographing the ever-present lorries on this stretch of road. In the extensive processing of the material, these colossuses, and their drivers, paradoxically take on a poetic dimension. An unexpected sensitivity emerges from the male-dominated trucker culture. Another celebrated work from these years is the portrait series Portraits in Nordic Light (1997-1999), which alludes to Scandinavian and Nordic painting from the late 19th century. 

The photo installation Annika by the Sea (1999 - 2002) was a follow-up generational portrait of seven colleagues sharing the same first name: Eriksson, von Hausswolff, Larsson, Lundgren, Ström, Öhrner and Karlsson Rixon themselves. In the 2000s, Karlsson Rixon worked on several large-scale series and installations, including State of Mind, which highlights the situation of queer people in St. Petersburg, Russia. This project also formed the core of their doctoral thesis. In 2013, Karlsson Rixon made Här är vi, a permanent public art work at Rio senior citizens home in Stockholm, commissioned by Stockholm Konst and Untitled (Double Portrait), commissioned by the Swedish Association for Art (SAK).

Karlsson Rixon has participated in the following exhibitions: Annica Karlsson Rixon and Felix Rixon, Wadköpings Konsthall, Örebro, Sweden (1986); 120 Female Photographers, KVINFO, Oslo (1988); Photographers Self Portraits, Det Runde Torn, Copenhagen (1989); Lika med. Samtida svensk fotografi. / Equals. Contemporary Swedish Photography, Moderna Muséet, Stockholm (1991); Synsmaskinen, Museet for Fotokunst, Brandts Klædefabrik, Odense, Denmark (1991); Annica Karlsson Rixon and Paulina Wallenberg-Olsson, Fotograficentrum, Stockholm, Sweden (1991); Annica Karlsson Rixon, Galleri Finnfoto, Helsinki (1991/1992); Annica Karlsson Rixon, Irving – Galleriet för fotokonst, Malmö, Sweden (1991/1992); Annica Karlsson Rixon, Fotografiskt Galleri, Copenhagen (1991/1992); Annica Karlsson Rixon, Fotograficentrum, Örebro, Sweden (1991/1992); Index, Kulturmagasinet, Sundsvall, Sweden (1991/1992); Index, Konsthallen, Trollhättan, Sweden (1991/1992); Index, Norrköping Art Museum, Norrköping, Sweden (1991/1992); Index, Galleri Finnfoto, Helsinki (1991/1992); Ecce Homo – Se Människan, Liljevalchs Konsthall (Liljevalchs Public Art Gallery), Stockholm (1992); Hem – en studie i politik / Home, a Study in Politics, Galleri Index, Stockholm (1993); De Refuserade / The Rejected, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm (1993); Prospect, Västerås Art Museum, Västerås, Sweden (1993); Prospect, Örebro Art Museum, Örebro, Sweden (1993); Skäggiga Damen / the Bearded Lady, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden (1993/1994); Skäggiga Damen / the Bearded Lady, Galleri 60, Umeå, Sweden (1993/1994); Skäggiga Damen / the Bearded Lady, Galleri Forum, Stockholm (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Luum Galleri, Tallin, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, PERI – Center of Photography, Turku, Finland, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Bodö Kunstforening, Bodö, Norway, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum, Tromsö, Norway, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Dalarnas Museum, Sweden, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Kulturförvaltningen Nacka Forum, Nacka, Sweden, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Galleri Fokus, Östersund, Sweden, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Bodens Konsthall, Boden, Sweden, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Galleri Fokus, Oxelösund, Sweden, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Folkets Hus, Piteå, Sweden, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Galleri Brage, Umeå, Sweden, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Forumgalleriet, Malmö, Sweden, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Mölndals Konsthall, Mölndal, Sweden, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Störning / Disturbance, Norra Latin, Stockholm, Sweden Travel Exhibitions (1993/1994); Stranger Than Paradise – Contemporary Scandinavian Photography, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland (1994); Stranger Than Paradise – Contemporary Scandinavian Photography, International Center of Photography, ICP Midtown, New York City, U.S.A. (1994); Ad Hoc, Uppsala Art Musuem, Uppsala, Sweden, intervention in the collection (1994); It’s About Power, Belcher Studios Gallery, San Francisco, U.S.A. (1994); Annica Karlsson Rixon – New Works, Fotogalleriet, Oslo (1994); It’s not over to the fat lady sings, Open House, Headlands Center for the Arts, San Francisco, U.S.A., installation and performance (1994); Prospect, Gävle Konsthall, Gävle, Sweden (1995); Prospect, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (1995); Prospect, Fotodiffusione, Torino, Italy (1995); Prospect, Gothenburg International Photography Fair, Gothenburg, Sweden (1995); Prospect, Moderna Museet, Stockholm (1995); Stranger Than Paradise – Contemporary Scandinavian Photography, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (1995); Borealis 7 – Desire, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark (1995); Borealis 7 – Desire, Helsinki City Art Museum, Helsinki (1995); Women Beoynd Borders, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, California, U.S.A.; Binyanei Ha Uma ICC Contemporary Gallery, Jerusalem, Israel; Antiken Museum Samlung und Ludwig, Basel, Switzerland; Russian Ethnographic Center, St Petersburg, Russia; National Museum of Kenya, Nairobi; Gallery Extra Moenia-Arte, Todi, Italy; Havana Biennal, Havana, Cuba and Milton Keynes Gallery, Milton Keynes, England (1995-1997); Borealis 7 – Desire, Listasafn Islands – National Gallery of Island, Reykjavik (1996); Borealis 7 – Desire, Gothenburg Museum of Art and Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden (1996); Borealis 7 – Desire, Gallery F15, Moss, Norway (1996); Borealis 7 – Desire, Billedgalleriet, Bergen, Norway (1996); Den 53:e staten, Norre Port Galleri, Halmstad, Sweden (1996); To the Film, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden (1996); Au-delá de la Beauté, Centre Culturel Suedois, Paris (1996); Hollywood Premiére, Motel Hollywood Premiére, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (1997); 10, Lunds Konsthall, Lund, Sweden (1997); Photo/Video Arts Annual, Los Angeles Center for Photographic Studies (LACPS), Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (1997); Speed of Life, Bohusläns Museum, Uddevalla, Sweden (1998); Speed of Life, Uppsala Art Museum, Uppsala, Sweden (1998); Speed of Life, Galleri Box, Gothenburg, Sweden (1998); Speed of Life, Art Node, Stockholm (1998); No One’s Dogs: One Hundred Years of Swedish Art from the Collection, Moderna Museet, Stockholm (1998); LACE Annuale, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (1998); Different Looks, Sweeney Art Gallery, Riverside, California, U.S.A. (1998); Truckers and Others, solo exhibition, Galleri Andreas Brändström, Stockholm (1998); Portraits in Nordic Light, solo exhibition, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden (1998); Chicago Art Fair, represented by Galleri Andreas Brändström (Stockholm), Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. (1999); Speed of Life, Art Node, BildMuseet, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden (1999); Can you hear me?, 2nd Ars Baltica Triennial of Photography, Stadtgalerie im Sophienhof, Kiel, Germany (1999); Southern California Car Culture, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, California, U.S.A. (1999); Transit, Miller Durazo, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (1999); Hands and Monochromes, solo exhibition, Angles Gallery, Los Angeles International Biennial Invitational, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A (1999); Armory Art Fair, represented by Angles Gallery (Los Angeles), New York City, NY, U.S.A. (2000); SAS VIP Lounge, Newark Airport, New York, U.S.A. (2000); Can you hear me?, 2nd Ars Baltica Triennial of Photography, Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock, Germany (2000); Can you hear me?, 2nd Ars Baltica Triennial of Photography, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius (2000); Can you hear me?, 2nd Ars Baltica Triennial of Photography, Kunst Haus Dresden, Dresden, Germany (2000); Maria Friberg, Annica Karlsson Rixon, Per Ivar Lindekrantz, Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening, Stockholm (2000); Organising Freedom – Nordic Art of the 90’s, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen (2000); Organising Freedom – Nordic Art of the 90’s, Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2000); Can you hear me?, 2nd Ars Baltica Triennial of Photography, Galleria Otso, Espoo, Finland (2001); Can you hear me?, 2nd Ars Baltica Triennial of Photography, Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen, Norway (2001); Trade– Commodities, Communication and Consciousness in World Trade Today, Fotomuseum Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland (2001); Annika by the Sea, solo exhibition, Galleri Box, Gothenburg, Sweden (2001); Annika by the Sea, solo exhibition, Norrköping Art Museum, Norrköping, Sweden (2001); Stockholm Too Close, Kulturhuset, Stockholm (2002); Annika by the Sea, solo exhibition, Skövde Konsthall, Skövde, Sweden (2002); Visitor, Bohusläns Museum, Uddevalla, Sweden (2002); Populated, IASPIS, Stockholm (2002); Hjemme igen, Arken – Museum for Moderne Kunst, Ishøj, Denmark (2002); Spread in Prato, Dryphoto Arte Contemporanea, Prato, Italy (2002); Proper Distance, solo exhibition, Galleri Brändström & Stene, Stockholm (2002); Trade – Commodities, Communication and Consciousness in World Trade Today, Nederlands Foto Institut, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2002); Second International Art Biennial – Buenos Aires, Museo National de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires (2002); Women2003, billboard project, Copenhagen (2003); Against All Evens – 2nd International Biennial for Contemporary Art, Gothenburg, Sweden (2003); Sverige Komplett – ett urval ur en privat samling svensk samtidskonst, Konsthallen Bohusläns Museum, Uddevalla, Sweden (2003); Gender and Media, Västra Götaland County, Sweden (2003); Unstable – New Directions in Swedish Photography, Kulturhuset, Stockholm (2004); Erase & Rewind, Bukowskis, Stockholm (2005); Unstable.New Directions in Swedish Photography., BildMuseet, Umeå Universitet, Sweden (2005); Tourist Class, Malmö Art Museum, Malmö, Sweden (2005); Scandinavian Photography 1: Sweden, Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell College, Grinnell, U.S.A. (2005); The Body. Art and Science / Kroppen. Konst och vetenskap, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm (2005); ReUnion, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Drammen, Norway (2005); Art Feminism/Konstfeminism, travel exhibition, Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsingborg, Sweden (2005); Landscape, Center of Photography (CFF), Stockholm (2006); Stockholm Pride in the City, Gallerian, Stockholm (2006); Inside Out,Brunnsparken, Gothenburg, Sweden (2006); Moderna Museet c/o Dunkers Kulturhus: Eye Witness, Helsingborg, Sweden (2006); Art Feminism/Konstfeminism, travel exhibition, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm; Hälsinglands Museum, Hudiksvall, Sweden (2006); Today Tomorrow Forever, solo exhibition, Norrköping Art Museum, Norrköping, Sweden (2006); Today Tomorrow Forever, solo exhibition, Göteborg Konsthall, Gothenburg, Sweden (2006); BENT – Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Nordic Art, SFSU Gallery, San Francisco, California, U.S.A. (2006); Art Feminism/Konstfeminism, travel exhibition, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden (2007); Sten A Olssons Grant Exhibition, Stenasalen, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden (2007); Spring Saloon, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm (2007); Today Tomorrow Forever, solo exhibition, Uppsala Art Museum, Uppsala, Sweden (2007); On the Road, House of Sweden, Washington D.C., U.S.A. (2007); Nordic Moods – Landscape Photography of Our Time, Arken Museum of Contemporary Art, Ishøj, Denmark (2008); Moon and Half Dome – photographs from the collections of Hasselblad Center, Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden (2008); Make Out!, Studio 54, Stockholm (2008); State of Mind, Galleri K1, Kulturhuset, Stockholm (Karlsson Rixon/Hallberg) (2008); State of Mind and Resonance, ROSPHOTO – Russian National Centre of Photography, St Petersburg, Russia (Karlsson Rixon / Hallberg) (2008); Talkin’ Loud and Sayin’ Something. Four Perspectives on Artistic Research, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden (2008); Andra Världar – ur konstsamlingen, Skövde Art Museum, Skövde, Sweden (2009); Annica Karlsson Rixon, Ann Eringstam, Hendrik Zeitler, MAQS law firm, Gothenburg, Sweden (2009); The Collection, Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2009); State of Mind, Kharkiv Municipal Gallery, Charkiv, Ukraine (Karlsson Rixon/Hallberg) (2009); State of Mind, Gogol Fest 09, Art Arsenal, Kiev (Karlsson Rixon/Hallberg) (2009); OFF/8th Rencontre de Bamako, Biennale Africain de la Photographie, In Focus: Artistes en collaboration Suéde/Mali (2009); A Disarranged Playing Board – Art in Gothenburg During the 1980s and 1990s, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden (2010); From the Collection, Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden (2010); State of Mind, Ygallery, for contemporary art, Minsk, Belarus (Karlsson Rixon/Hallberg) (2010); Voilá, Borås Museum of Arts, Borås, Sweden (2010); The Moderna Exhibition 2010, Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2010/2011); Truckers and Others, Sundsvalls Museum, Sundsvall, Sweden (2011); I nytt ljus, kvinnliga konstnärer ur samlingarna, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden (2011); Porträtt berättar – ur konstmuseets samlingar, Skövde Konstmuseum, Skövde, Sweden (2011); Possessed by the Camera – Another Story, Photography from the Moderna Museet Colllection, Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2011); State of Mind, FOTOHOF, Salzburg, Austria (Karlsson Rixon/Hallberg) (2011); Of Mind and Memory, Worth Ryder Gallery, UC Berkeley, California, U.S.A. (2011); Pieces of Eight, Project Space Leeds, Leeds, Great Britain (2012); Private Premises, Vargåkra Konsthall, Hammenhög, Sweden (2012); Queerography, International Queer Culture Festival, Space Taiga, St Petersburg, Russia (2012); Världar och verkligheter / Worlds and Realities, Gävle Konstcentrum, Gävle, Sweden (2012); Tidslinjen / Timeline, Galleri Monitor, School of Photography, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (2012); The Beginning is Always Today. Contemporary Feminist Art in Scandinavia, SKMU Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand, Norway (2013/2014); Annika by the Sea in Skagen – en skandinavisk konstnärskoloni, Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, Stockholm (2013/2014); Malmö Konsthall@Malmö Konstmuseum, Malmö Art Museum, Malmö, Sweden (2013/2014); The Visible. Contemporary Swedish Photography / Det Synliga. Samtida svensk fotografi, Artipelag, Stockholm (2014); Between Realities. Photography in Sweden 1970-2000 / Mellan Verkligheter. Fotografi i Sverige 1970-2000, Gothenburg Museum of Art and Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden (2014); The Beginning is Always Today. Contemporary Feminist Art in Scandinavia, Västerås Konstmuseum, Västerås, Sweden (2014); Samlarens blick – konst ur samtida samlingar, Bohusläns museum, Uddevalla, Sweden (2014); A voice by one’s own / En egen röst – om kvinnors kamp för rösträtt och mänskligt utrymme, Malmö Art Museum, Malmö, Sweden (2014); Planket 2014 – Angelägenheter, Lilla Mejtens Gränd, Stockholm (2014); Between Realities. Photography in Sweden 1970–2000 / Mellan Verkligheter. Fotografi i Sverige 1970-2000, Dunkers Kulturhus, Helsingborg, Sverige (2014/2015); Framing Bodies, Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden (2015); Deed. Photography from the Collection of the Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Sweden (2016); The Artist. Entrepreneur. Genius. Avant-gardist. Norm-breaker. Visionairy. Traveler, Nationalmuseum@Konstakademin, Stockholm (2016); I dina kläder, Borås Konstmuseum, Borås, Sweden (2016); State of Mind – Queer lives in Russia, Museum of World Culture, Gothenburg, Sweden (Karlsson Rixon/Hallberg) (2016); Crucifixion of the female martyrdom (re-visit) / Korsfästelsen av det kvinnliga martyrskapet (återbesök), Verk / Curerar, Skeppsholmen, Stockholm (2016); Tecken, Sundsvalls Museum Kulturmagasinet, Sundsvall, Sweden (2017/2018); Traces of Vulnerable Existence / Spår av sårbar existens, solo exhibition part of Copenhagen Photo Festival, Galleriet Format, Malmö, Sweden (2018); Published. Photo Books in Sweden / Publicerat. Fotoboken i Sverige, Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden (2018); Nakenakter. Agunbiade-Kolawole, Karlsson Rixon och Zorn, Thiel Gallery, Stockholm (2018); Mobilité Mémorable / Memorable Mobility, solo exhibition, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen, France (2018/2019); and Pendulum – Moving Goods, Moving People — in photographs from the MAST collection, Fondazione MAST, Bologna, Italy (2018/2019).

Karlsson Rixon is represented in, amongst others, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg, Sweden; the Norrköping Museum of Art, Norrköping, Sweden; the Moderna Museet, Stockholm; the Portrait Collections at the Royal Library, Copenhagen; the Bonnier/Dahlin Art Collection, Stockholm; Borås Konstmuseum, Borås, Sweden; Erna och Victor Hasselblad Foundation, Gothenburg, Sweden; Public Art Agency Sweden / Statens Konstråd; Wanås Foundation, Wanås, Sweden; Swedish Association for Art (SAK), Sweden; Skövde Konstmuseum, Skövde, Sweden; Malmö Art Museum, Malmö, Sweden; Stena Foundation, Gothenburg, Sweden; Fotomuseet, Sundsvall, Sundsvall, Sweden; Gävleborg länskultur konstsamling/konstarkiv, Gävle, Sweden; Västra Götaland County public art collection, Sweden and Fondazione MAST, Bologna, Italy.

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