“Sagolika Kvinnor” (“Fantastic women”) is not your usual calendar, and the pictures are not your usual celebrity photographs. The photographs that Caroline Roosmark creates for her calendar feature famous Swedish actresses, singers, writers and influencers – representing feminine strength, beauty, divinity and epic qualities, while recreating fables and legendary characters.
I have worked alongside Caroline Roosmark in the creation of the photographs for her latest calendars and I have never seen another photographer work with such passion and detailed perfectionism as her.
Lena Endre, Bianca Kronlöf, Helena af Sandeberg, Imenella Mohamed, Caroline Seger, Sissela Kyle, Kayo Shekoni, Linda-Marie Nilsson, Meta Velander, Zinat Pirzadeh, Helena Bergström, Anja Lundqvist, Lill Lindfors and Felice Jankell are the famous women who feature in photographer Caroline Roosmark’s calendar “Sagolika Kvinnor 2022”.
Photographer Caroline Roosmark began with the calendar project “Sagolika Kvinoor” with well-known faces of Swedish celebrities, already in 2004. During these years she has portrayed many other fabulous women such as Zara Larsson, Sara Danius, Alexandra Pascalidou, Cherrie, Sabina, Ddumba, Therése Lindgren, Alexandra Rapaport, Carola Häggkvist, and many more.
“With this calendar featuring the amazing Lena Endre on the cover, in which I have photographed fourteen Swedish women based on well-known historical events, fairy tales, myths and legends, I hope to be able to recreate some strength, fighting spirit, thoughts, sisterhood and magic in life” says Caroline Roosmark.
Caroline Roosmark says that with her intention with her calendars has always been to lift women. She also adds that after the “Me too” movement her calendar became an even stronger women-driven and women-inspired project. In the years I have worked with Caroline, there have only been women in front of and behind the camera. Myself I have been assisting in building the scenes and supporting with the technical side. But there is a team of hair and make up artists, other scenography builders and so on, all of them very skilled and talented women. I feel so proud of being part of Caroline Roosmark´s team.
The face of the month of June in ‘Sagolika Kvinnor 2022’ is influencer and body activist Linda-Marie Nilsson, she says she felt so proud to getting the request to participate in the latest calendar.
“What I do in my job is very much about representation, fat people getting to be allowed to be featured on equal terms. It is very important to me. It is so rare that you get to see a thick body like mine, which can be shown completely relaxed and free. This felt great to do, and I am very proud and happy with this picture. I think it is fantastic!” says Linda-Marie Nilsson.
Caroline Roosmark understands that it is possible that some of the images may make some people upset, partly because of the naked bodies that are featured. The photographer has previously published books and other works featuring the human body as it is born and she is used to the criticism that comes with appreciating and showing the human body. But she is strong in her statements and the real message of her photographs is that resistance, strength, feminism and independency are always the stronger voices.
Lill Lindfors, 81, volunteered to be the face of November on the 2022 calendar, mainly because a big part of the proceeds go to charity.
The fact that Caroline Roosmark donates a portion of the proceeds to charity made it feel meaningful to participate. And a little vanity too, the headline “Sagolika Kvinnor (Fabulous women)” is also something you want to be a part of.
“It also means a lot to me to continue my collaboration with Fryshuset’s programme for Children of Single Mothers and to be able to support and draw attention to their activities. The programme is aimed at children and single mothers living in socio-economic vulnerability. Since 2020, the Calendar project has raised SEK 210,000 for Fryshuset’s Children of Single Mothers.” says Caroline Roosmark.
