The video The Regiment shows five persons from a Danish group who reenact German army forces from World War II. They consider it a strategy for historic research and a way of communicating history, and do it without standing behind the politics of the nazi regime or its contemporary affiliations.
The group is photographed and interviewed by the artist in a photo studio. Norrman's questions revolve around their controversial choice to recreate a military unit which they know were part of a horrifc regime. By wearing civilian 1940s clothing, Norrman shows that she shares their interest, and question them to understand hers and many other people’s interest for the era surrounding World War II.
In between questions and answers, the persons pose for pictures in silence, which create a contemplative pause that highlights the vulnerable situation of the photo shoot. Only the sounds from the camera are heard. The persons are showing a slight unease, at the same time as they are doing something very important for their hobby, the documenting of their personas in uniform.
Maria Norrman (b. 1987) work with mediums such as video, photography, performance and costume making. Her work often examine how history is used as a tool for relating to one's surroundings, or as a strategy to repress it. The work explores why we fantasise and create images about topics such as war history, gender and sexuality.
Norrman graduated from the MFA program at Malmö Art Academy in 2013. Her work has been shown at group exhibitions such as Understrøm - young Nordic Art, Aarhus Art Museum, Denmark, 2014. Norrman has had solo exhibitions at Molekyl Gallery, Malmö, 2015, Gotland Art Museum, Visby, 2017 and Gallery Ping-Pong, Malmö, 2018.
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Kilde: EKS-rummet
Maria Norrman: The Regiment