Photo: Martin Cejie Hegardt
From the series Wonderful Occupations. Photo: Svetlana Khachaturova
The highlight of photography in Scandinavia During ten days in August, photography lovers will get the chance to experience world-class displays in an intimate atmosphere, all within easy walking distance of Landskrona city centre. By Malin Norman
Landskrona Foto Festival takes place from 19 to 28 August. For the fourth year running, this small city on the southwest coast of Sweden will be a meeting place for anyone interested in photography. With more than 20 exhibitors from all over the world, international seminars and artist talks amongst other activities, this is a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and learn about trends in the industry. The festival is arranged by Landskrona Foto, an initiative to make the city a centre for photography in Scandinavia. Renowned photographers such as Duane Michals, Nan Goldin, Lars Tunbjörk and Tacita Dean have exhibited at previous festivals. “Landskrona Foto Festival is be62 | Issue 88 | May 2016
coming an established name internationally,” says communications coordinator Josefin Garpvall. “Being a smaller city is a great advantage; we can host a big festival but keep the intimate atmosphere.” This year presents a new artistic direction with French curator and author Christian Caujolle and Landskrona-born photographer, teacher and gallery owner Jenny Nordquist. The duo brings a combination of international focus and local anchorage, and will develop the festival further in offering exciting and innovative displays. Much of the photography has never been shown in Sweden or Scandinavia. One example is AgNO3 - Histories of Science
and Photography in Sweden at Landskrona museum. The exhibition spans 11 rooms with stories of photography in science. Garpvall explains: “Nothing like this has ever been shown in Sweden. Some of the photos may lead to laughter, others to dejection. In any case, they will provoke emotions and reactions.” Another highlight is Landskrona Foto: View Ireland, where Irish photographers relate to the visual cliché of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Similarly, in the outdoor exhibitions, international photographers reflect on their local environments. For instance, Jason Larkin showcases photos of rush hour in Johannesburg and Denis Darzacq displays images of youngsters falling off buildings in Paris. The festival also sees internationally acclaimed photographers Elina Brotherus and Joan Fontcuberta, as well as work from new talent such as Dorothée Smith, Åsa Johannesson and many more. Related to the festival’s Photo Book Days is the Landskrona Foto & Breadfield Dummy Award. The photographer with the most interesting photo book idea will get their project published. A panel of reviewers will also select the best portfolio, allowing the chosen photographer to take part in the official exhibition programme at the 2017 festival. For more information and tickets, please visit: www.landskronafoto.org