Josefin Zachrisson was born and raised in Söderhamn. After four years of art and design studies, she graduated in 2019 Beckmans School of Design and is today active as an artist and designer with Stockholm as base. She describes her practice as a three-dimensional language in the border country between art and design. With her design language, she wants to communicate feelings, thoughts and ideas. Her way of working is conceptual, experimental and emotional and takes consideration for both impression and use. In addition to their individual work Josefin is also part of the art and design collective Swedish Girls.

What inspires you? Where do you find your inspiration? In my work I often try to reflect society in some way and my concepts are the outcome of my thoughts and emotions. The input is therefore very important, I value conversations and I often look to all other artforms for inspiration.

How would you describe your artwork? I exist in both art and design and would describe my work as conceptual, experimental and emotional. The meeting between my work and the consumer is what gives it purpose and that's why I often work with some kind of function.

What message do you want to deliver through your artwork? I want to communicate feelings, thoughts and ideas through my work. It is my form of outlet and my source of peace. Art and design keeps me constantly challenged, educated and inspired and I hope to contribute.

What is your dream project? I’m working towards my first gallery show in Stockholm at the moment and to be honest, this is my dream project. Further on I have so many ideas, people I would love to work with and places I want to exhibit so it would be impossible to choose one.

Can you explain your “Swedish Girls” collective? By starting Swedish Girls we created a context for ourselves. Our name comes from owning what people in the business call us. Together and individually we want to claim a space in the borderland of art and design.

Is that your fight? As a queer woman I fight for representation in a business with a remaining male genius complex. I have a privilege based on my socio-economic background and my skin color so the bigger fight will always be for inclusion. Our common fight is to create with responsibility to prevent climate change and this can not be done without diverse representation. 

What is the biggest difference between a model and artiste designer? I find a lot of similarities in the way it’s about physical expression and the emotional work behind it. The biggest difference is how the model industry still is so trapped in ideals. There is no right or wrong in art and it should not be in modelling either, it’s about identity and identity has to be free.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I actually quite often write my diary like it's 10 years from now and last time I did I wrote about my first or second opening at MoMa.