camp Auschwitz. His father gave a guard his wedding ring as a bribe in exchange for releasing his son. It was the last time he saw his father; he was later shot to death in a mass grave. My friends and I made a memorable trip together in the early Eighties. We travelled by train through Europe to Budapest to visit their relatives who had survived both the Holocaust and the later Soviet Jewish persecution. Their relatives had been deported by the Nazis to work in camps in Austria, but were liberated in 1945. I was in my twenties; it was very hard to grasp the stories about these horrendous phases.
Black and white are colours associated with the past. Why did you decide to take the portraits like this?
For me this project is about showing the people and their expressions as purely as possible. It’s all about the story the face tells you. I think, by choosing to photograph in black and white, you take away all the distractions, and you focus on the face.
The photographs are accompanied by moving fragments of people’ stories. This also turns the project into an educational one. On a personal level, every story of a survivor is a challenge because these are very emotional stories. You stood eye to eye and face to face with them. It must have had an impact. What was the most difficult aspect of this work? And what were the personal gains you got?
To meet, talk to, portray and document the last generation of Swedish survivors from the Holocaust has been an undeniable experience for me. An unreal part of history has become real. Sometimes a bit too real. The project involved a number of trips to cities around the country. Every photography opportunity was always started by asking questions about their experiences before, during and after the war. Some, at first, hesitated to talk; others said they did not remember. But eventually everybody opened up about their shattering fate - sometimes for the first time since coming to Sweden 75 years ago. After the photography they could be completely exhausted: "I've never told this before, not even to my children." By that time, I was deeply moved, and not so rarely in tears.
Did any of the stories touch you especially?
All the stories touched me in different ways. But I did not expect it to be so strong when meeting the survivors' children and grandchildren, who participated in several of the interviews. In some cases, it was the first time the survivors told their children about their experiences. It was very special to meet several generations in the families and see how their lives have been affected in different ways.
Is there a special message that comes from the portraits and the stories that should be a message for the viewers, the visitors?
'Witnesses' is a comprehensive project. It's not just an exhibition; it’s a way to make sure that the knowledge about what happened spreads through personal stories/testimonies. In this way, it won't be lost. With each passing year, it becomes increasingly difficult to get direct testimony from those who experienced this crime against humanity. Spreading knowledge of the cruelties of the Holocaust helps to combat ignorance that leads to antisemitism and other forms of xenophobia.
The stories of survivors have a profound meaning, especially today, when in many parts of the world we are witnessing an increase in extreme attitudes and various ideologies of hatred. Can those fears - about the fate of today's world - be heard in conversations with the survivors?
As many of the survivors had never spoken about their history and what they have gone through, they now want the world to be aware as they are seeing these increasing attitudes of hatred. They are the last living witnesses in Sweden who were actually part of this horrible history.
What will be the future of the project?
The goal is that the exhibition will also be displayed in the rest of Sweden and in other countries.