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