The act of shaping my own rituals and creating new myths that draw on the elements of already existing ones, becomes a way for me to expand on and challenge certain historical constructs and to show how a visual narrative can recreate our relationship with the past, present and future.’
Maja Daniels (b. 1985) is a Swedish photography-based artist and filmmaker whose work centres on history, memory, and how these notions affect our view of the present. Her work includes sociological methodology, sound, moving image and archive materials, aiming to further explore each medium’s narrative and performative functions.
Currently based between Malmö and Gothenburg, her work has been exhibited and published world-wide, she is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships and is a senior lecturer in film and photography at the unit for Film, Photography and Literary Composition at Gothenburg University (HDK-Valand).
Maja’s first book 'Elf Dalia' (MACK, 2019) received international acclaim. It was nominated for the Aperture-Paris Photo First book Award 2019 and won the Swedish Photo Book of the Year Award 2020. Elf Dalia has since expanded into an internationally touring exhibition.
Daniels’ made her first short film My other Half in 2015, followed by My friend Barbro in 2018 which won the Fotografiska Documentary Award the same year. Her most recent short film Her Little Reds will premiere in 2025.
