Monday, December 14, 2009

In Tandem : Trine Søndergaard & Nicolai Howalt

Below is a selection of images from husband and wife team Trine Søndergaard & Nicolai Howalt's latest collaborative work together Tree Zone. Working independently from one another, be sure to also look at their individual works. We first met the couple and saw their series How To Hunt in person at their opening at Bruce Silverstein a few years back. They effortlessly continue to impress and inspire us. Trine will be having a solo show of her work at Silverstein next May.

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Tree Zone by Trine Søndergaard and Nicolai Howalt is a photographic exploration of the Nordic landscape and ways in which we relate to it. Thematically and formally this work is a continuation of previous projects How To Hunt, Dying Birds and Hunting Ground.

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In a series of images the artists have captured the barren landscapes found in areas along the Nordic timber line during winter. In this marginal land you see solitary trees weighed down by snow. The trees are bent and stunted by their harsh environment. Human forms may appear, but they seem insignificantly small within the vast, white nothingness.

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The images represent a humanization of nature: Trees figure as human symbols in a series of 'tree portraits' together with larger panoramic landscapes in monumental formats. In this way a suspense is created between immense, impenetrable space and singular, isolated trees.

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These large, colourless images tell a story of defiance, of surviving in spite of ruthless conditions, of being part of a world that you can not fully control or know.

(From the Publisher)
all images © Trine Søndergaard & Nicolai Howalt

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