Inka & Niclas (1985, Finland / 1984, Sweden) are an artist duo who have worked together since 2007. They explore the relationship humans have with nature, working primarily with photography-based art. Their images examine the cultural perception of utopian landscapes and play with the synthesis of beauty, kitsch, and visual desire. The materiality of photography is crucial in their practice and is expressed in for instance the series Adaptive Colorations and Liquify. Here the photograph takes on a new form, allowing us to explore not just the image but also the sculptural shape it takes. The series Family Portrait features the artists together with their children in light-reflecting suits. Taking in overly romantic, one might say exemplary, settings, the costumes make them radiate light and become anonymous. By combining these opposing viewpoints the artists look into the ritualization of travel photography, and the depiction and consumption of grand scenery, themes they continue to explore in their work.

Julia Peirone (*1973, Argentina) explores issues of identity and the concept of gender in her photographic and film work. Her visual world is populated with girls and young women. Peirone stages her photographs, creates a setting and allows the models to move, capturing in-between moments, be it fragile or confident. Her series mirrors aspects of vulnerability, shame, and sexuality in a time that is heavily influenced by social media and its effects on the creation of identities. The artist is looking for the gap between reality and construction. Peirone's oeuvre poses questions about the strengths and limitations of the photographic image and the way we encounter ourselves in them. The modern-day visual culture favors self-glorification and an obsession with abstract ideals of beauty. In her photography, she focuses on these notions to explore young, mostly female teenagers' search for identity. In her new series Marilyn, Peirone asked girls to take on the iconic look of Marilyn Monroe with her camera acting as a mirror. In this intimate moment, the girls consciously or unconsciously explore how classic signifiers of femininity - painted lips, long eyelashes - can be a mask to hide behind or to gain power through.