Annika Persson is a Swedish photographer and artist whose women disappear behind armfuls of flowers — dahlias, roses, peonies, many of them picked in her own garden. She lives in Åhus in the south of Sweden and has worked as a photographer for more than 25 years. We asked her how the camera led her to digital art, where her ideas come from, and where her prints belong at home. The answers are her own.
Who is Annika Persson?
Before the prints, there was the camera. “I have worked as a photographer for over 25 years, and photography has always been the foundation of my creative work.” Her work has been shown in exhibitions, among them at Berns Salonger in Stockholm.
The turn came during the pandemic. “During the Covid period, I had more time to explore my own image-making, and that was when my artistic expression began to move in a new direction.” She took an online course with the Italian photographer and artist Patrizia Burra, “where I deepened my knowledge of digital tools and began to see new possibilities within my own photographic material.”
What does her art look like?
Look at her best-known pieces and you rarely see a face. A woman stands in a soft, old-looking room, and where her head should be, there is a bouquet so big she can barely hold it. The colours are muted — dusty green, peach, cream — and the walls look like they have been painted and repainted for a hundred years.
Alongside the flower portraits she also makes lighter, more illustrated pieces: a girl in an orange dress with a bunch of flowers, two children in a hot-air balloon over a town at night, a woman with her morning coffee.
The flower portraits
Flower HarvestAnnika Persson
EmbraceAnnika Persson
FloraliaAnnika Persson
Dahlias in Vintage GreenAnnika Persson
Where to start: Flower Harvest is the classic — a girl in a white dress, a wooden chair and more flowers than she can carry. See all prints by Annika Persson →
How the flower portraits are made
Nothing in them is borrowed. “My artworks are built from photographs I have taken myself over the years. I combine different elements from my photographic archive to create new compositions digitally.”
The people and the flowers are her own, too. “The women in my work are people I have photographed, and many of the flowers come from my own garden, which I also photograph.” Then the work grows slowly. “The works then develop layer by layer, allowing my photographs to take on a new life and become part of an entirely new artistic expression.”
Where does the inspiration come from?
First, the garden. “I am deeply inspired by my garden and by nature, by flowers, colours, and the way everything changes with the seasons. But inspiration can just as easily come from an old house, a beautiful fabric, a piece of clothing, or an unexpected combination of colours.”
Then other people who make things — not one artist in particular, but anyone with an eye. “It could be someone who paints, photographs, sews, knits, works with ceramics, or creates in an entirely different way.” And close to home: “My daughters are also a great source of inspiration. One works as a makeup artist and the other studies costume design, and they both have a wonderful eye for colour, form and expression. We inspire each other and often talk about the visual world around us.”
“Sometimes, just a colour or a feeling can become the starting point for an entirely new image.”
Where do her prints look best?
She does not believe in one right room. “In a calm, neutral space, they can become the focal point of the room and bring in colour, warmth and personality. But I also love seeing them in more colourful and personal homes, surrounded by objects, textiles and furniture that have their own character.”
What they like around them is easy to guess from the pictures: “Because nature and colour are such important parts of my work, I think the pieces work especially well with natural materials, vintage furniture, beautiful textiles and, of course, plants and flowers.” And the point of it all: “I love when a piece of art becomes part of a home rather than simply something hanging on a wall.”
Our customers’ favourites
I can buy myself flowersAnnika Persson
Good NightAnnika Persson
Good MorningAnnika Persson
Summer DreamsAnnika Persson
The Girl and the PoppyAnnika Persson
Our tip: Good Morning and Good Night side by side in the bedroom, in matching oak frames. See the collection →
For several prints together, our gallery wall templates give you the exact measurements, and our oak and black frames fit the prints exactly.
What should you feel in front of one?
Not one thing. “I like the idea that each person can bring their own memories, experiences and emotions into the image and create their own story.” What she hopes for is “a sense of beauty, strength and warmth, but also curiosity” — the kind of picture where you notice new details the longer you look. “Most of all, I want my art to create a feeling that stays with you.”
What’s next
An exhibition in Stockholm. “At the moment, I am working on new pieces and preparing for my upcoming exhibition in Stockholm. The exhibition will take place at Galleri 67 in Gamla Stan, in the heart of the old city.” Most of her time now goes into new work and pulling the show together — “I am really looking forward to seeing the new pieces come to life in the gallery space.”
The collection
All Annika Persson prints, from A4 to 100×140 cm
Printed to fit our frames exactly — in oak, black or colour.
Shop Annika PerssonFollow Annika on Instagram as @preciouspeopleartwork.