Speech at the Artist Talks at Art Academy of Latvia. August 12.th 2013
by Morten Bo
Its a pleasure for me to introduce to you the two photographers, Jacob Aue Sobol and Anders Petersen.
Since his first images from a small café on Reberbahn in Hamburg Anders have always photographed curiosity.
Over and over again hunting his eternal motiv:
- This is what catches my attention, my eyes and my mind.
It has characterized his work for half a century.
He has strengthened his curiosity, goes closer and closer, not only to the subject, but the story.
And what stories in any of his pictures. Today with mature reflection, it is as if his personel photography reflects his life. Life and experience, his wisdom.
Love and compassion is no longer as straightforward as it was, when he as a student at Christer Strömholms photography school back in the 60's went to the amusement park Gröna Lund and the hooker bar Café Lehmitz to visualize curiosity.
He has grown, but has never betrayed his mentor and teacher, who himself developed and insisted on his black and white personality.
Swedish documentary photography is based on Christer Strömholms uncompromising charisma, and Anders is the most brilliant and faithful successor.
And an excellent teacher as well. Whatever photographic style or gernre you like, after a workshop with Anders, you will be deeply inspired and completely changed.
You will see things you did not see before, and will realize what has so far been hidden. Having Anders as a teacher is like seeing the light and feel free to seek out life.
When Anders had been famous for 30 years I had a student at Fatamorgana, my photography school in Copenhagenwith at that time Christer Strömholm as protektor, a student who had no idea if he was going to be a press photographer or director of photography. He became neither.
It was Jacob Aue Sobol, who at the exhibition here as documentary photographer and artist again and again ask confrontational questions. Uncomfortable questions, with starring eyes, crooked glances, naked fates, he does not know the answer, Jacob, just ask the question:
- Do you know? Do you know the loveless sex, total disbelief, do you know what it is like to be be lost? To be human?
Jacob seeks out the misery, the suspect, the strangers to find bits of his own soul, depression, and hope.
- Do you know, that you too save a kitten in the palm of your hand?
Jacob takes photos of tracks, tracis of what, we want to forget. What pursues us, not to talk about himself but to ask the question: - What tracks did you leave?
In his first book Sabine, Jacob photographed a diary of love, while living as a hunter in a small settlement of Greenland. Wonderful, emotional, personal, images of storm and love, but also Jacob grows up. Get adult and professional.
A year ago, he became a member of the exclusive agency Magnum Photo, his exhibitions are in demand, he can if any get young people involved, those who are tired of glamor and facade, of compromise and politics, slogans and messages, Jacob can get young people involved by asking the question:
- What do you mean? Not to get your opinion, but to allow you to respond.
- Do you have an opinion, is there a purpose? A meaning of life?
For it is life it's all about in Jacobs photography, mankind, destiny and life, conditions and existence, Jacob does not document his motives, he uses his subjects to portray fate.
No one can better than Jacob lead legacy of Christer Strömholm and Anders Petersen on. The Swedes have always been ahead in Scandinavian photography, and it is a pleasure at the exhibition here to see, that we Danes can participate. Nordic photography lives.
And lives on.
Wellcome to the Artist Talks
mb 12.8.2013