Caravan - Rikard Laving

About

Sometimes, the most unexpected places seem to encompass the whole of human experience. Caravan visits one such place. Tree lined and isolated, the caravan park of Flatenbadet consists of rows of static caravans that the long term residents call home. They are also the main protagonists of this photographic story. Rikard Laving, who lived on site for several years, distils the pure soul of Flatenbadet out of its characters and details: a bloody needle on a sofa, a bloodied man bruised at a fight, the sun filtering through the leaves of the trees, a naked man holding a gun. Caravan, which moves effortlessly from style to style, from landscape to portrait, and from colour to black and white, captures the poetic and the mundane life of this community, drawing heavily on Laving's personal experience. Rikard Laving is recognised as being at the cutting edge of contemporary Scandinavian photography, and the Third Floor Gallery is proud to present Caravan, his first UK show. Rikard Laving was born in Sweden in 1978. His work was first published in the influential collective book De Capo, which brought together many of Sweden's most recognised and exciting photographers. His seminal book, Caravan, was published in 2008 by Journal. The opening of this exhibition is supported by Otley Brewing Company. The exhibition is held at the Second Floor Extension of Third Floor Gallery, which is supported by the Arts Council of Wales.