On Saturday May 17th, up-and-coming Swedish artist Josefin Hardinger [above, right] debuted her first state-side exhibit in East Hampton at c/o The Maidstone hotel. Hosted by hotel owner Jenny Ljungberg, the dynamic exhibit will extend through 2014. “I came across one of Josefin’s photos and instantly loved it,” shares Jenny [pictured below]. “When I looked through her portfolio I really felt that I had stumbled upon a hidden gem. I love the way she challenges the concept that photo art should mirror reality. Her images are real in a twisted way, which makes them so interesting and beautiful. It gives me such great pleasure to exhibit Josefin’s work at c/o The Maidstone, and to be part of empowering this wonderful young, Swedish woman. I see a great future for Josefin and I wanted to share her talent with the world.”

Hardinger was born in the northern town of Luleå, Sweden in 1992. Her career began at age 10, when she asked Santa for a digital camera. Since then, she has perfected her digital photography and photo shop technique by taking and creating visually stunning photographs that seeks to have viewers questioning the reality of her images.

Despite growing up in an environment where exposure to art was limited, Hardinger has always been set on becoming a fine art photographer. The post-production part of her work requires spending many hours on every photo. Hardinger says that she likes to create surreal images that force the viewer to look twice and think about the image. The artist always uses people she knows as her subjects, and most often she uses herself as model. To learn more about Josefin Hardinger please go to: http://josefinhardinger.se/

More about c/o The Maidstone : c/o The Maidstone is the only lifestyle and design hotel in East Hampton with 19 individually designed rooms, a lush garden, and a Cozy Lounge for cocktails. Onsite restaurant, The Living Room presents an entirely new concept of Long Island fine dining with a creative approach to cuisine. Fresh local products, organic foods and environmental thinking are central features of the Slow Food restaurant. For more information, visit http://www.careofhotels.com/maidstone. Find them on Facebook @themaidstone, Twitter @co_themaidstone and Instagram @themaidstonehotel.