SUNNIVA HESTENES THEY/THEM (B. 1999)

E-MAIL: SUNNIVAHESTENES@HOTMAIL.NO

@sunnivahestenes_

BIO:

Hestenes´work explores themes of destruction, transformation and renewal. Photography forms the foundation of their practice, which evolves through a process of reimagining the medium and recontextualizing material. Central to their work is the concept of destruction as a transformative tool, breaking down in order to create something new. Their practice examines the tension between decay and regeneration, questioning the boundaries of materiality and form. 

Their work has been shown internationally and features in different publications such as STOFF, Natt og Dag and Der Greif. They recently released their first photographic book with Heavy Books and has self published a series of zines and artist books. 


EDUCATION:

2025 – 2026 MEDIAE 2025/26 ONLINE MASTERCLASS ON TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING

2020 – 2023 BFA FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY AT HDK - VALAND ACADEMY OF ARTS AND DESIGN, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2018 – 2020 DIPLOMA OSLO PHOTO ART SCHOOL, NORWAY


CURRENT POSITION:

WORKING AS A PART TIME TATTOO ARTIST AT SLAGMARK COPENHAGEN

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:

6 - 9 November 2025 - The Invisible Essence, Les Rencontres de la Photographie de Marrakech, Dakhla, Western Sahara


SOLO/ DUO EXHIBITIONS:

2024 - ‘A TEAR FOR SOMEONE UNDESERVING’, FOTOFESTIVALEN OSLO NEGATIV, OSLO, NORWAY.

2024 - ‘A TEAR FOR SOMEONE UNDESERVING’, OBLONG, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

2024 - ‘A TEAR FOR SOMEONE UNDESERVING’, AlLMÄNNA KONSTHALL, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN.

2022 - ‘FAR BELOW THE BOTTOM LINE’, DUO EXHIBITION WITH VIGGO MATTSSON, GALLERY MONITOR, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2020 - ‘JEG ER AV DEN TYPEN SOM TRIVES BEST ALENE’ FOTGRAFIENS HUS, OSLO, NORWAY

2020 - ‘SKORPE’, DUO EXHIBITION WITH MAX BAREL, GALLERY CYAN, OSLO, NORWAY

2018 – ‘OTIUM’ GALLERY CYAN, OSLO, NORWAY


GROUP EXHIBITIONS:

2025 - RAT MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 PROTECTION, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2025 - ARIVER, PERFORMANCE WITH SLEKKE, BLANK, PIOTR CHRZANOWSKI AND RAVN NORMENT-ÅSMAD, HOSTED BY TENTHAUS AND COMMISIONED BY THE CITY OF OSLO ART COLLECTION, OSLO, NORWAY

2025 - RAT MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 PROTECTION, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

2024 - WINTER SHOW, EX NIHILO, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

2024 - KAPITEL 1, STUDIO TABAC, STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

2024 - KUNSTNERNES EFTERÅRSUDSTILLING 2024, DEN FRIE UDSTILLINGSBYGNING, COPENHAGEN DENMARK

2023 - TOUCHING TRANCENDENCE - ULTRASUPERNEW GALLERY TOKYO, JAPAN

2023 - UNKNOWN FORCES - DETRITI, GROUPSHOW, GIBCA EXTENDED GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2023 - NEJD UPPLAGA 5 - ART MARKET, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2023 - NO LOVE IN MY HOMETOWN - HOS ARNE, OSLO, NORWAY

2023 - A ZINE IS A ZINE IS A ZINE - GALLERY BOX, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2023 - STARING INTO THE SUN UNTIL IT TURNS PURPLE - RÖDA STEN KONSTHALL, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2022 - WORK IN PROGRESS - GALLERY MONITOR & ROTOR 2, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2022 - SALONG CFF - VULKANO GOTHENBURG SWEDEN

2022 - VARSE VOL.1, GROUP EXHIBITION, VULKANO, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2022 - TO WANDER, GROUP EXHIBITION, ÅLGÅRDEN, BORÅS, SWEDEN

2022 - ‘ME, MYSELF AND I’, NW GALLERY, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

2022 - LANDSKRONA PHOTO FESTIVAL, LANDSKRONA, SWEDEN

2022 - ‘ROTTERDAM PHOTO FESTIVAL’, GROUP EXHIBITION, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

2022 - ‘HOW TO USE SPACE TO DESIRE’, GALLERY ROTOR2, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2022 - ‘FEATURE SHOOT EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS SINGLE IMAGE’, CLAMPART GALLERY, NEW YORK CITY, UNITED STATES

2022 - ‘PEP NEW TALENTS 2021’, KOMMUNALE GALERIE BERLIN, BERLIN, GERMANY

2022 - ‘TO HOLD SOMETHING TIGHTLY’, LITTERATURHUSET, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2021 - ‘DURING RESTLESS NIGHTS AND UNCOMFORTABLE DAYS’, VULKANO, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2021 - ‘FRESH EYES’, HAUTE PHOTOGRAPHIE AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

2021 - ‘PUBLIEKE WERKEN ROTTERDAM’, PUBLIC GROUP EXHIBITION, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

2021 - ‘RE - ACTION’, DIGITAL EXHIBITION, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2021 - ‘PANDEMIC MEDIA’, DIGITAL EXHIBITION, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2021 - ‘EIN HEMSFÆRE I EIT HÅR’, PALMERA, BERGEN, NORWAY

2021 - ‘UNTITLED’, WINDOW EXHIBITION, OLOF PALMERS PLATS, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2020 - ‘SOUND #5 - STORIES TO BE TOLD’, DIGITAL EXHIBITION, GOTHENBURG ART MUSEUM & HDK-VALAND, SWEDEN

2020 - ‘CYAN FOLIO’, FOTO.NO BARCODE, OSLO, NORWAY

2020 - ‘DIALOGS 2019 CONTEMPORARY CONNECTION’, DIGITAL EXHIBITION, LA SPEZIA, ITALY

2020 - ‘THE BODY’, A60 CONTEMPORARY ART SPACE, MILAN, ITALY

2020 - ‘AVGANGSUTSTILLING’ DIGITAL EXHIBITION OSLO NORWAY

2020 – ‘100PHOTOS’, 20 SQUARE 7, BERLIN, GERMANY

2020 – ‘DONT BANK ON THE PAST’, ELIXIR, SWANSEA, WALES, SITE SPECIFIC EXHIBITION

2019 – ‘ÅRSUTSTILLING’, OSLO PHOTO ART SCHOOL, OSLO, NORWAY

2019 – ‘FOTOGRAFI+ARKITEKTUR’, FACTORY TØYEN, OSLO, NORWAY

2019 – ‘RØYND’, GALLERY CYAN, OSLO, NORWAY

2019 – ‘INNBILLING’, ISOTOP, BERGEN, NORWAY

2017 – ‘Å STUPE PÅ GRUNT VANN’, FOTOGALLERIET, OSLO, NORWAY

AWARDS

2021 – ‘PEP NEW TALENTS’, SELECTED, GERMANY/BELGIUM

2021 – ‘FEATURE SHOOT EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS SINGLE IMAGE’, SELECTED, UNITED STATES

2021 – ‘FRESH EYES TALENT AWARD’, SELECTED, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

2020 – ‘FOTOGRAFIS PORTFOLIOPRIS’, FINALIST, OSLO, NORWAY

2019 – ‘FOTOGRAFIS PORTFOLIOPRIS’, FINALIST, OSLO, NORWAY

2018 – ‘GULLE’, WINNER OF BEST ART PHOTOGRAPHY, OSLO, NORWAY

BIENNALE

2024 - MULHOUSE PHOTO BIENNALE, MULHOUSE, FRANCE

2023 - UNKNOWN FORCES - DETRITI, GIBCA EXTENDED GOTHENBURG BIENNALE

FESTIVALS

2025 - FESTIVAL OFF ARLES, ARLES FRANCE

2025 - COPENHAGEN PHOTOFESTIVAL, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

2024 - PARIS PHOTO, PARIS, FRANCE

2024 - OSLO PHOTOBOOK FESTIVAL, OSLO, NORWAY

2023 - NEJD UPPLAGA 5 - NEJD, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2023 - FIJUK MARKNAD, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

2022 - LANDSKRONA PHOTO FESTIVAL, LANDSKRONA, SWEDEN

2022 - ‘ROTTERDAM PHOTO FESTIVAL’, GROUP EXHIBITION, ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

2019 – ‘OSLO PHOTOBOOK FESTIVAL’, GALLERY CYAN, OSLO, NORWAY

MAGAZINE FEATURES AND PUBLICATIONS

2025 – ‘SLAGMARK FLASH DAY ZINE’

2025 – ‘RAT MAGAZINE’

2024 – ‘A TEAR FOR SOMEONE UNDESERVING’ HEAVY BOOKS

2023 - ‘STOFF’

2023 – ‘THE ANNIHILATION OF SPACE AND TIME’

2023 – ‘NATT OG DAG’ JUNE/JULY ISSUE

2022 – ‘LUFTSLOTT MAGAZINE’

2022 – ‘YOU, ME AND I - UNCERTAIN STATES ISSUE 16’

2022 – ‘SJÅ MØRKEROMMETS MAGASIN NR. 5 - SUBSTANS’

2022 - ‘ENORM’

2021 - ‘SJÅ MØRKEROMMETS MAGASIN NR. 4 - KONTAKT’

2021 - ‘DER GRIEF - YES TO ALL’

2021 - ‘FRESH EYES TALENT AWARDS’

2020 – ‘SJÅ MØRKEROMMETS MAGASIN NR. 3 - SANSER’

2020 - ‘ALTSÅ UTGAVE 6’

2020 - ‘KARANZINE #8’

2020 - ‘MAGASINET FOTOGRAFI NUMMER 6’

2020 – ‘JUST MY CUP OF TEA MAGAZINE - AUTUMN LEAVES’

2020 – ‘SJÅ MØRKEROMMETS MAGASIN NR. 2 - ROM’

2020 – ‘SJÅ MØRKEROMMETS MAGASIN NR. 1 - MAT’

2019 – ‘MAGASINET FOTOGRAFI NUMMER 6’

2016 – ‘MIN FAR HISTORIER OM MANGFOLD OG FEDRE’ REFORM

ONLINE FEATURE

2025 - IDOART

2024 - FIGURES PHOTOGRAPHY

2024 - DECALOGUE MAGAZINE

2023 - NATT OG DAG

2023 - UGOTPHOTOGRAPHY

2022 - ATLA

2022 - ZERO FEEDBACK

2021 - DER GREIF

2021 - DISGARDED MAG

2020 - OFKS BLOGG

2020 - BLODFERSK

2020 - FOTOGRAFI

2020 - OFKS BLOGG

2019 - TRAFO

2019 - DIALOGS2019 CONTEMPORARY CONNECTION

OTHER

2025 - CO CREATOR OF RAT MAGAZINE

2025 - ASSISTANT FOR FRIDA LISA CARSTENSEN JERSØ AT THE FINISH MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY, HELSINKI, FINLAND

2025 - ANIMATOR FOR NOR BÜRLOW´S “ACTS OF SLIME AND STONE”

2024 - STILL PHOTOGRAPHER AND RUNNER FOR CECILIE FLYGER HANSEN´S “SIT. PLAY. STAY”

2023 - ARTICLE “A GUIDE TO MY FELLOW ART STUDENTS: HOW TO FIND INSPIRATION IN A TIME OF CRISIS” PUBLISHED AT UGOTPHOTOGRAPY.SE

2023 - PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVIST FOR HASSELBLAD CENTER

2023 - “BAD LUCK BABY” SELFPUBLISHED ZINE

2022 - SHOT SINGLE COVER FOR SID HART “BOYS IN LOVE”

2022 - SHOT SINGLE COVER FOR TILLA WONDER “EXPENSIVE METALS”

2022 - SHOT B-ROLL FOR SID HART MUSIC VIDEO REEL “IKKE MIN”

2022 - WORKS DONATED TO KONSTAMBULANS / HUG

2021 - PARTICIPATED IN ARTIST BOOK “SYMBIOS” BY NADJA BRECEVIC

2021 - “JEG ER AV DEN TYPEN SOM TRIVES BEST ALENE” ARTIST BOOK IN PREUS MUSEUM COLLECTION

2021 - “JEG ER AV DEN TYPEN SOM TRIVES BEST ALENE” SELFPUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHIC BOOK

2020 - SHOT SINGLE COVER FOR SID HART “SUNDANCE”

2019 - “SOCHA” SELFPUBLISHED ZINE

WORKS IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS