The State of Nordic Photography

Through the crepuscular winter months and during the brightly lit summer haze, photographers in the northernmost part of Europe have always had to forge a unique relationship to light… or the lack thereof. What symbols and imagery are conjured up when we consider the history of Nordic Photography and how does it appear today in its current form?

WORDS: NICK RICE

Annika Elisabeth von Hausswolff, The Photographer, 2015

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden enjoy a thriving and provocative photography scene. As an art form, photography is wielded and caressed by generation after generation of artists who create images that explore and reflect our inner worlds and lived experiences.

But is there a fixed collection of attributes with which we can define Nordic Photography? Or is the medium to mercurial and for such labelling?

It’s true there are similarities in the national photo histories of the Nordic countries, but also many differences. From the early days of photography in the 1850s through to the present day, contact and collaboration between Nordic photographers, alongside individual career trajectories, has resulted in a coherent yet fluid sense of Nordic photography.

Ever since the last decade of the 20th century, when photo-based art became established as an exciting and integral part of the contemporary art scene, with museums and galleries exhibiting an ever-expanding array of photography forms, Nordic contemporary photography has maintained a unique presence in the international art world.

Is the Nordic spirit in the arts something that can be easily pinned down, or does it resist generalisation… perhaps having the wit and wile of Odin, God of poets?

Picture This sits down with two influential experts to gauge their unique perspective and opinion on the state of Nordic photography.

JOAKIM GEIGER

Joakim Geiger is the senior expert at Stockholm’s Auktionsverk – the oldest auction house in the world, established in 1674. An art historian, curator, and private dealer, Geiger is a connoisseur of Swedish modern and contemporary photography and has curated several photo exhibitions at Konstnärshuset, Hallwylska Palatset, and Åmells in Stockholm, and Pace Mac Gill gallery in New York. He has also curated ground-breaking exhibitions on Scandinavian constructivism and early Swedish modernism.

Do you identify any current trends in the work of active photographers in the Nordic region? Any tendencies or similarities in subject matter or style?

The Nordic photographers have historically and today been more influenced by larger international trends than by each other. A number of attempts have been made by curators and critics to identify a typical and common Nordic style of photography, and that has always failed. There are still some features that have had and still do have a strong presence in the Nordic region, not least the documentary tradition and what is called subjective photography. In Sweden and Finland there has also been a strong development of artistic research in the field of photography, which has generated a lot of interesting and investigative photographic projects.

What are some memorable creative encounters between photographers, artists and scholars, curators and critics in the Nordics?

The most recent is the 25th anniversary of Fotografiskt Center in Copenhagen 2022, which generated an exhibition, symposium, and publication about the photographic field in Denmark and the other Nordic countries. There is in particular one essay that summarises the development and contemporary situation, written by Niclas Östlind, who has a PhD in photography and is a researcher and educator at the photo program at HDK-Valand in Gothenburg.

A relatively high proportion of women photographers have emerged from the Nordic countries – what are your thoughts about this?

There are a number of different factors and one is about role models. Tuija Lindström became professor at Fotoskolan in Gothenburg in 1992. Her own works, and the way she developed the school and the education, became incredibly important for a change in the photo scene in all the Nordic countries.

Many more women students applied and through their works and the emphasis on feministic strategies and theories, the field of contemporary photography transformed. A generation of photographers emerged and became influential contemporary artists, and not only as photographers. Younger generations continued to build on their achievements and a lot of the most interesting photographers today are women. Another factor is that the Nordic region actually is more aware about gender issues and politics than many other countries around the world, which doesn’t mean we don’t still have much to do.

“The Nordic photographers have historically and today been more influenced by larger international trends than by each other” — JOAKIM GEIGER

What themes, and/or individuals, do you feel exemplify the breadth and strengths of contemporary Nordic photography?

I don’t think that there is any common photographic culture or trend in the Nordic region, and those I would like to mention are strong because they have a relevance in a larger perspective. The photobook is one of the most interesting mediums among photographers and Klara Källström and Thobias Fäldt have, since almost twenty years, produced aesthetically and politically challenging works in the form of books, exhibitions, and creative and critical platforms.

There are still not so many who are exploring the possibilities of the internet and social media, but Arvida Byström is someone who has managed to add new perspectives to the photographic practice. Personally, I’m also happy that the influence of the Helsinki School has disappeared. It contained a few interesting artists but as a concept it was already from the beginning a failure.

What elements can you identify as being distinctly Scandinavian or Nordic, in so called Nordic photography?

Always when this question has been asked and investigated in exhibitions and books the common determining factor is the Nordic photographers’ love of nature and the strong presence of nature and landscape in their works. It is not wrong, but it’s a simplification and doesn’t say much about the different expressions and practices among Nordic photographers. If you’re interested in seeing another view on contemporary photography from the Nordic region, I recommend you to look at New Scandinavian Photography by Bjarne Bare and Behzad Farazollah, since it gives a totally other picture of what’s going on among younger photographers. Not least the importance of spatial dimensions and installations.

Are there any common themes or approaches or techniques today among younger photographers in the Nordic countries?

As mentioned before photobooks have a strong presence among in all the Nordic countries… and globally as well. There are also a lot of young photographers who explore the possibilities of analogue techniques and darkroom processes. How does Nordic photography stand up in a global perspective?

We’re on the periphery of the international art scene and the lack of strong institutions in photography, except for a few, and collectors of Nordic photographers, both historical and contemporary, have difficulty to reach outside the national or regional context. That is a pity.

Is it possible to get a sense for how photography evolves?

I guess the new technologies such as AI, VR etc. will soon be much more visible and explored among younger generations of photographers.

What excites you in the world of photography today?

To see what the younger photographers are doing.

Do you find your sources of inspiration ever-changing, or reliably constant?

I meet a lot of photographers and talk with them, looking at books and exhibitions. It is important to remain curious and constantly searching for the new. Unfortunately, there are few of the larger Swedish institutions that are any source of inspiration.

DRAGANA VUJANOVIĆ ÖSTLIND

Dragana Vujanović Östlind is a book editor, art historian and Chief Curator at the Hasselblad Foundation. Responsible for producing three photography exhibitions per year, Östlind is also the project manager and curator of the Hasselblad Award. She edits three book publications every year and she also sits on the Hasselblad Foundation grant committee as well as the acquisitions committee.

Do you identify any current trends in the work of active photographers in the Nordic region? Any tendencies or similarities in subject matter or style?

There are certain subjects that are commonly associated with the notion of Nordic photography, such as explorations of mythical Nordic nature or fictional storytelling. But I wouldn’t say that those are dominant trends today. I would argue there is much more diversity in the photography community in the Nordic countries, making it impossible to pinpoint one orientation.

What are some memorable creative encounters between photographers, artists, scholars, critics and curators in the Nordics?

Working with the late Tuija Lindström was particularly memorable. She was a force of nature and had a tremendous influence on so many artists who are active today. It was a privilege to work on one of her final exhibitions with her. Her sharp mind, straightforwardness, passion, artistic sensibilities, and her fierceness will always be an inspiration.

A relatively high proportion of women photographers have emerged from the Nordic countries – what are your thoughts about this?

Women have been very active in photography since the invention of the medium but have been overlooked and pushed back as in many other areas in society. Photography has for long been male dominated. Tuija Lindström was one of the key figures in the Nordic region that paved the way for female practitioners in the 1990s, which is fairly recent. There are many strong female voices in Nordic photography today, much thanks to her.

“I would argue there is much more diversity in the photography community in the Nordic countries, making it impossible to pinpoint one orientation.” — DRAGANA VUJANOVIĆ ÖSTLIND

Frida Orupabo, Spagaten, 2022, framed collage with paper pins, 142 x 199 cm (Courtesy the artist and Galerie Nordenhake Berlin • Stockholm • Mexico City) Photo: Carl Henrik Tillberg

What themes, and/or individuals, do you feel exemplify the breadth and strength of contemporary Nordic photography?

There are extraordinary works in a variety of genres here. A few examples are Frida Orupabo in Norway, who mainly uses existing archival images, creating collages which investigate historical portrayals of the black female body. In Sweden, Annika Elisabeth von Hausswolff also uses archival images from press and forensic archives for more psychological stories. A deep sense of unease and violence permeates both their works, but in radically different ways. In Denmark, Kent Klich and Tina Enghoff both come from a more traditional documentary path and use various methods to create deeply moving works about social injustices. Swedish duo Klara Källström and Thobias Fäldt are exceptional in their way of creating multi-layered works revolving around major global events, often in relation to mainstream media.

There is also a thriving culture of photo book publishing here, which I think is one of the strongest ways of showing and experiencing photography today. Since the number of exhibitions platforms is limited, the artists take the matter into their own hands and create exhibitions in the form of books. This allows for more work to find an audience, which makes visible the diversity of the field.

What elements, if any, can you identify as being distinctly Scandinavian or Nordic, in so called Nordic photography?

I hesitate to make such generalisations simply because I do not see distinctive traits. There is too much diversity.

Are there any common themes, approaches or techniques today among younger photographers in the Nordic region?

I see a lot of younger artists working with photography, trying to make sense of the world around us through various genres and approaches. Some are theoretical, others are surreal, some take reality as a starting point and expand the narrative with fiction. There is also a lot of interest in the medium itself, in materiality, in photographic processes.

How does Nordic photography stand up in a global perspective?

Very well, I think. There is a strong infrastructure here for photography. There is excellent education, there is a market, most museums and exhibition platforms regularly show photography, there’s a strong photo book publishing community and ambitious and active photographers among older and younger generations.

What excites you in the world of photography today?

I’m really excited to see in which directions experimental documentary approaches will go because I think there’s so much potential there.

There are many photographers in the expanded field of socially engaged photography who approach lived experiences, political subjects, and matters of concern in experimental ways, attempting to say something about the world through interdisciplinary ways. They often collaborate with experts, organisations, and other artists to convey stories on some of the most pressing issues society faces today.

Do you find your sources of inspiration ever-changing, or reliably constant?

The answer is two-fold. There are those photographers whose work never ceases to amaze me, as well as new acquaintances that provide a breath of fresh air.