New Nordic Photography 2008 Common Grounds

Are you interested in contemporary Nordic photography? Until August 24 you can visit a very interesting exhibition at Hasselblad Center, located in the Göteborg Museum of Art. The exhibition, New Nordic Photography 2008 Common Grounds, is an annualy reccuring forum in which the Hasselblad Foundation presents works by young, recently graduated photographers.

This year New Nordic Photography consists of selected works from Erik Berglin, Annika Behm, Aida Chehrehgosha, Preben Holst, Mette Johansen, Anna Linderstam, Jim Lundin. Annett Reimer, Ulla Schildt, Tuuli Truhponen. Linda Frisk and Björn Rantil at the Hasselblad Foundation is curators.

Untitled © Jim Lundin
Father by the water / Pappa vid vatten, 2008 © Aida Chehrehgosha

"Each year, the Hasselblad Foundation awards the prestigious Victor Fellowship to a young, promising Nordic photographer. The winner is awarded a one-year postgraduate program in England. An international jury will announce its choice of this year's winner on June 13, 2008, the opening day of the exhibition.
With its exhibition New Nordic Photography 2008 - Common Grounds, the Hasselblad Foundation gathers this year's candidates in a common exhibition. The exhibition presents the nine candidates for this year's stipend, as well as last year's Victor Fellow, Anna Linderstam.
All of the photographers participating in New Nordic Photography have been individually nominated for their image quality and the strength of the projects they present. The exhibition does not have a predetermined theme and no requirement is made about the photographers' works suiting each other. The common denominator is photography. Each photographer has a personal style of expression and way of utilising this medium. The exhibition hosts a wide spectrum of works, ranging from documentary-style to staged images, as well as photographs that are a little of both. At first glance, the visitor is struck by the disparity among the works in the exhibition, but after a while some common denominators do emerge.
The words Memory and Place play a central part in this exhibition, as the photographers, among other things, examine the passing of time, childhood memories and memories of places and spaces." (www.hasselbladfoundation.org)

Hyun-Jin Kwak, earlier invited as a guest on the F blog, is one of those that earlier (2005) have been awarded the Victor Fellowship. This years winner is Preben Holst, who's work is displayed together with the other 8 nominated candidates in the exhibition New Nordic Photography 2008 - Common Grounds.

Blue mattress with raindrops, 2006 © Preben Holst

About Preben Holst from Norway, this years winner of the Victor Fellowship for his exhibition Still life, the judges Anne Williams, Programme Director for Photography, London College of Communication and Anna Fox, Photographer and Programme Director for Photography, The University for the Creative Arts in Farnham write:

"As usual the work in the New Nordic Photography exhibition is of very high standard, both in terms of its visual flare and the ideas contained within each project. Our congratulations to the curators who have done a wonderful job.

In searching for a winner we are looking for someone whose work shows that they have an original vision capable of innovation.
Preben’s work is a remarkable depiction of childhood that emerges from personal memory yet enters into a territory that touches on our collective memory - or rather fantasy - of childhood. He works, as he says himself, somewhere between anxiety and tranquillity. What is conveyed, so successfully, is a sense of the ambiguity of an almost Edenic world, aware of its own imminent demise. This body of work stands out because it is conceptually engaging as well as highly accomplished aesthetically, both in terms of its photographic quality and its skilful use of installation, bringing to life the fascinating multi layered narrative running through the work." (www.hasselbladfoundation.org)

Still life with Julie, 2005 © Preben Holst

If you don't have the possibility to visit Gothenburg and the Hasselblad Center, please check out the interesting exhibition catalogue, where both the photographers and their work are presented:

New Nordic Photography 2008 Common Grounds
Ed. Linda Frisk
Hasselblad foundation 2008
ISSN 2000-0138
ISBN 978-91-976975-1-4

For more info, please contact The Hasselblad Foundation.

- Fredrik Skott