Esse-Li Esselius
Konstnären i transsexuell förvandling
17.01—22.02.25
Gallery Steinsland Berliner is honored to present a solo exhibition by the Swedish artist Esse-Li Esselius, titled The Artist in Transsexual Transformation. This is Esse-Li Esselius’ first exhibition at the gallery. Esselius is already known for their work in photography, cartooning, film, and video graphics.
The exhibition includes a series of original photographs from the late 1970s, where the artist, through experimental self-portraits taken with a Polaroid SX-70, explored the material properties of photography and their own self-image, shaped by their experience with gender dysphoria. Some images depict a young Esselius as a glamorously styled woman with a wig and make-up, while others show a stripped male body with a shaved head. Together, these photographs describe a transformation process desired by the artist which would come into fruition many years later.
Through a process of physical manipulation during the development process, the instant photographs acquired unusual textures and sculptural qualities not inherent to the medium. Esselius discovered that by placing the photograph over an open flame, a chemical reaction was initiated, causing small eruptions across the image’s surface and creating a rippled, painterly effect.
At the same time, the heat caused the photographs to wrinkle and fold, transforming them into three-dimensional photographic objects. Through these methods, Esselius further differentiated the instant photograph, which had become a popular format among artists of the time due to its revered quality as “an original.”
Seemingly intended for the future, the series of images remained archived for several decades while Esselius continued their artistic work (Esse-Li Esselius was previously professionally known as Hans Esselius, Herr Esse, or simply Esse) with some notable exceptions, such as partial inclusion in Moderna Museet’s collection in 2021. The exhibition at Gallery Steinsland Berliner marks the first time this series is displayed in a gallery space for public viewing.
Esse-Li Esselius (b. 1948, SE) lives and works in Stockholm.