Encounters – Nordic Photography Beyond Borders

About

The distance between countries is diminished by technology and globalization,

and we experience many controversies and foremost alienation. In the exhibition

Encounters , a number of Nordic artists, curators and institutions have examined

our relationship with each other and what we share in common despite such

controversy and alienation.

The exhibition consists of artworks by five Nordic contemporary

photographers / artists: Miia Autio, Finland, Nanna Debois Buhl, Denmark,

Bára Kristinsdóttir, Iceland, Sandra Mujinga, Norway and Johannes Samuelsson,

Sweden. Common to the artists is that they work with encounters that go

beyond society’s otherwise established borders - both geographical, social,

personal and media boundaries - in spite of widely different approaches

and techniques.

The word “encounter”, which is part of the exhibition’s title, describes a random

and often intense or emotional encounter; a meeting that can result in a clash

between hostile groups or people. This is not evident in the exhibition, but

visually one can see the clashes between systems through the works.

The exhibition raises current topics for discussion, such as migration,

environment, politics, cultural exchange, technology and local / global change.

In addition, the viewer is confronted with the relationship with “the other”.

The other can be understood here as another culture or another human being.

Encounters – Nordic Photography Beyond Borders  is the result of a

curatorial cooperation between Dragana Vujanović Östlind, Louise Wolthers

and Sara Walker from the Hasselblad Foundation, Göteborg, Sweden, Jóhanna

Gudrún Árnadóttir from Reykjavík Museum of Photography, Iceland, Tiina

Rauhala, The Finish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland and Susanne

Saether from Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo, Norway and Kristine Kern from

Fotografisk Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Encounters  can be seen at Fotografisk Center during Copenhagen Photo

Festival and beyond. Entrance is free during the Photo Festival which runs

to the 16th of June.

The exhibition has received support from A. P Møller Foundation and

The Embassy of Sweden in Copenhagen.