Thursday, April 23, 2009

LARS TUNBJORK'S View of Sweden








These are some photos from one of our favorite Swedish photographers Lars Tunbjork. They are part of his book published in 1994 titled "Landet Utom Sig." or "Country Beside Itself."

"Born in Stockholm in 1956, Tunbjörk spent the seventies photographing for several national newspapers and publications in his native country. He has refined his style and techniques, ultimately achieving a rare coupling of aesthetic aplomb, like that of his hero Garry Winogrand, with socially concerned photo-critique. His 1993 publication A Country Beside Itself, which documents rural Swedish leisure culture during the rise of post-Thatcher European commercialism, reflects this intellectual and stylistic sensibility and its communicability across cultural lines. “Like Martin Parr in Britain, or William Eggleston in Memphis,” reads The British Journal of Photography, Tunbjörk’s “pictures capture a vernacular which is local but which still resonates beyond its own culture.” Tunbjörk has exhibited widely in his native Sweden, including a current solo exhibition at the Moderna Museet. Additionally he has had solo and group shows across Europe and the US, including a solo exhibition at the International Center of Photography in New York featuring work from A Country Beside Itself. In addition to Office and A Country Beside Itself, Tunbjörk has published three other photo-books: Home (2002), I Love Borás (2006) and Vinter (Winter) (2007)." (cohenamador.com)