Elin Berge: Awakening

Spiritual rituals, magic and sisterhood.
Elin Berge received the Lars Tunbjörk Award 2020

"My original idea was to set out to investigate whether it’s true that Sweden really is one of the world's most secularized countries, for a group project by the Nordic photographer's collective Moment. Even though the post-Christian Swedes, such as myself, have this strong idea that we're a rational, science- and expert-loving people - isn't there a need for deeper meaning, like everywhere else in the world?
To put it simple: I went out to look for God in secular Sweden. But to my surprise, I met a Goddess instead. Awakening is a depiction of a loosely organized awakening movement made up of women who believe in the return of a divine feminine power that will change everything. They mean that our culture has oppressed the sacred feminine and disparaging women’s bodies and sexuality, making women forget their innate power. That it is time for all women to remember who they truly are and to heal, to be able to lead the way into a future of peace between people and balance between humans and the planet.
The photographs provide insight into a world where women engage in spiritual rituals, magic and sisterhood. This spiritual arena may appear peripheral, but in many ways it reflects its time. It shows women attempting to create new ways of understanding and embody femininity. An intense search for alternative ways to live.” - Elin Berge