Portraying a family – through archives and voyerism

19 August 2026

5 pm

The way a family is documented can influence the story that is told. What does a blurry mobile phone photo from a family party convey compared to a studio photograph of mum, dad and child? Two artists – Kayo Mpoyi and Ulf Lundin, both of whom feature in The Family – For Better or Worse – have taken different approaches to documenting the family.

In A Family Tree (2025–2026), Kayo Mpoyi uses her father’s homemade dictionary, the archives at the Museum of Ethnology and her mother’s photo albums as sources to create a collage. In the work Pictures of a Family (1996), Ulf Lundin photographed a family with young children without their knowledge. The family knew they would be photographed surreptitiously over the course of a year, but not exactly when. They were therefore unable to ‘act’ as a family during the photo sessions.

On August 19, both artists, together with gallery owner Saskia Neuman, will visit Sven-Harrys Konstmuseum to discuss how the image of a family can be shaped. The talk is held in Swedish, included in the admission price and is open to all. With an annual pass, you have free entry to all our talks and programme events. Buy your annual pass today.

The Family – For Better or Worse runs from March 27 to September 13, 2026.