Martin Bogren
Hollow
Curated by Tina Schelhorn
Hollow was photographed in Northern Europe during the winters of 2008-2018.‘The city seems in the grip of an insurmountable winter. Unless it is him who holds it in thrall; he drifts alone, a stranger to himself. Trapped in the absurdity of being in the world when any horizon looks like a dead end. Here everything is cold. Plagued by deaf, white apparitions, he wanders in search of an anchor, perhaps redemption in the blinding light, a little warmth. The warmth of another - human tenderness - which always eludes him and turns its back, bringing more anxiety than comfort. The warmth of another who gives herself or refuses, but remains irrevocably a desert island, like a mirror to his loneliness. His quest could be a failure. As if, each time he glimpses a way out, he tries to capture the hazy visions into which he seems to stumble - and we who look at his images stumble with him, shaken - and then he loses his way again, in the world and in himself, only to reveal more flashes. His photographs are vertiginous, they have the beauty of the vanquished returning to the light, they give voice to the loneliness of one who is lost, who feels wretched, but confronts the fear of emptiness and of not being able to exist. Thus they capture as much light as despair and hint that winter is not ultimately insurmountable.’ Text by Caroline Benichou published in the handbound artist's book.
Martin Bogren (1967), a Swedish photographer based in Malmö, is working in the tradition of documentary through long-term projects devoted to a personal approach. His work has been widely exhibited and published in several monographs; Ocean 2008, Lowlands 2011, Tractor Boys 2013 and Italia 2016, Hollow 2018 and August Song 2019. His work is represented in several collections, including Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris, Oregon Fine Art Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in Stockhom. Martin is a member of Galerie VU´ in Paris since 2013.