We Who Work With Our Bodies
We Who Work With Our Bodies was an exhibition that highlighted the voices and stories of Sweden’s manual workers. Through photography, film and interviews, it portrayed the everyday lives of 33 people in different professions – from factory workers to nursing assistants – and their experiences of working conditions, solidarity and pride.
The exhibition was available at Linnaeus University in Växjö and Kalmar, 6 October – 9 November 2025.
In Sweden, two million people work with their bodies. Yet their voices and stories are rarely heard in public life, the media or culture. Without them, Sweden would stop.
Photographer Elisabeth Ohlson and writer Annica Carlsson Bergdahl have met 33 workers from across the country – from factory staff and shop assistants to nursing aides, cleaners, restaurant employees and warehouse workers. Through interviews, films and photographs, they share real-life stories about insecure jobs, lack of respect and tough conditions – but also about pride, solidarity and the sense of being essential to society.
The exhibition was available at the university libraries on Campus Växjö and Kalmar, Building M in Växjö and in Building Vita, Kalmar.
The project was a collaboration between Rot Produktion, ABF and LO, supported by the Workers’ Cultural Foundation, Region Västra Götaland and the Gävleborg County Museum.
