BOTKYRKA KONSTHALL - MATTERS OF THE HEART

After returning to Stockholm from a spontaneous trip to Georgia in the fall of 2022, I began writing about the experience and pairing it with 35mm stills I had taken on expired film - portraits of two young men, Gio and Misho, whose deep friendship left a lasting impression.

I wanted to create the feeling of a poetic, cinematic storyboard - grounded in documentary realism, but infused with themes of belonging, love, loss, and grief.

While working with the material, I came across an open call from Botkyrka Konsthall inviting local artists to contribute to the municipality’s public art collection. I submitted three pieces
THREE DEATHS, SUNSET BLAZE BOYS, and LONE RANGER, and THREE DEATHS was selected by an external reference group as one of nine featured works.

This project later became the visual foundation for what would evolve into the short film
BICH’EBI [boys], filmed in Georgia in May 2023.
The film was co-directed by Ellen Gustavsson and Nathalié Williamsdotter, with cinematography by Marcell Lobenwein and sound recorded on set by Jonas Rudels.
It was created during a journey through Georgia together with a small, close-knit team of four.