Photography, painting, textiles and video collide in the works of Cooper & Gorfer, the Stockholm-based duo of Sarah Cooper (b. 1974) and Nina Gorfer (b. 1979). They are internationally renowned for constructing “visually dense and psychologically charged” portraits, in collaboration with women from diverse backgrounds. Cooper & Gorfer’s works are instantly recognisable: colourful, layered and full of symbolism. Each “visual tapestry” is a testament to their distinctive, multidisciplinary approach to storytelling, and, most importantly, to the lived experiences of the individuals depicted in the frame.
Cooper & Gorfer’s latest exhibition, Altered Gaze, is now open at Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta. The show builds on nearly two decades’ collaboration and introduces three previously unseen collages – Noelia and the Wolf, Maryan Clouds and Jaqee Velvet – alongside older pieces that date back more than a decade. The new works are additions to Hysteria (2022-ongoing), a series which “reclaims a term long used to marginalise women, transforming it into a site of emotional depth, agency and radical selfhood.” The exhibition also includes pictures from I Know Not These My Hands (2011-2017), based on interviews and research conducted in Argentina. These compositions reflect on the impact of colonialism, forced migration and political turmoil.
Collage, as a technique and a metaphor, is central to their process. “Each portrait is constructed from fragments, a medley of what has been lived, loved, lost. We photograph women whose lives, like our own, are shaped by the stories we grow up with and the ones we inherit. In our process, parts are exaggerated, others concealed; layers are torn apart and stitched back together. The collages mirror how we become who we are: assembled from hidden seams, exposed wounds, and the quiet architecture of our histories.”
Visual comparisons have been made between Cooper & Gorfer and Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), the renowned symbolist painter known for his opulent canvases. He depicted figures drowning in gold patterns and textures, including The Kiss (1907-1908). There are also echoes of Picasso, in terms of the duo’s colour palette, inclusion of mismatched limbs and animal forms. Whilst these observations are helpful in situating the work within art history, it’s important to acknowledge how Klimt and Picasso have both been scrutinised for their problematic attitudes towards women. Cooper & Gorfer, by contrast, are dedicated to centring female identities. Their compositions are shaped through an attentiveness to subjects’ voices. In fact, they are actively turning the canon on its head. “We’ve been playing with the male gaze through the female gaze,” they told Aesthetica. One thing is clear: in Cooper & Gorfer’s portraits, women are more than “sitters”; they are collaborators, storytellers and architects of their own stories.
Cooper & Gorfer: Altered Gaze is at Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, until 21 March.
Words: Eleanor Sutherland
Image Credits:
1. Cooper & Gorfer, Jaqee Velvet, (2025). Courtesy of the artist and Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta.
2. Cooper & Gorfer, The Third Roseline, (2022). Courtesy of the artist and Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta.
3. Cooper & Gorfer, Girls Sewn to Trees, (2014). Courtesy of the artist and Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta.
