Mr Christensen has, for the first time in his long artistic career, operated a camera himself. In Risør he presents a landscape image that slowly transforms into a portrait of a chinese child, both as a videoinstallation and as stills.

The “Naxi musicians” – is a collage consisting of portraits of 8 traditional musicians in China, mounted so they surround an image of the highway leading in to Beijing. The fog in the mountains of Li Jang and Beijing ties the motifs together in a fragile filter, in which the opposites are tied together in one unit. Additional information on Steinar Christensen HERE.

Okurimono by Christian Houge: “My artwork is reflected through an internal process conveyed in an external expression through photography and film. I often invite the viewer to explore his own thoughts on some of the surviving taboos of our time. The projects are an exploration of topics including old age, death and sexual identity, where I find Mans longing for something larger than him/herself to be a recurring theme. Christian Houge will show a video installation and stills in Risør.

Additional information on Christian Houge HERE.

Anders Petersen (b. 1944) is one of Sweden’s most internationally recognized photographers. He is renowned for his stream of consciousness approach and his high contrast black and white imagery. His latest series From Back Home includes over 100 photographs of Värmland, Sweden, the majority of which were taken in 2008.

In From Back Home Petersen captures memories of melancholic times in the sparsely populated region of his teenage years. Petersen’s images present us with a slew of characters. People and situations we have all encountered, such as roughneck teenagers out looking for a good time, the old man who longs for companionship, and the kissing middle-aged couple. The people in the photographs are substitutes or stand-ins for the people in Petersen’s memories. However, friends and family are also represented. One of the most moving images is of Petersen’s mother. Despite her age she appears dignified, strong, and vital. Petersen has also photographed the inexplicable. The strange masked man peering out through the rain drenched window of his car. Or inanimate objects that Petersen imbues with life, such as the hollow-eyed snowman or the snake-like stick that seems to devour a tree.

This seemingly random collection of photographs is bound by one common denominator; they are images about seeking contact. The immediacy of a photograph, paired with Petersen’s chance encounters with his subjects, brings to mind the transience of our existence, and the understanding that home is subjective and indefinable, yet it is home that is at the core of our being. For Petersen the photographs taken in Värmland are much more than documentation, collectively they compose his self-portrait.

The exhibition is made possible through a collaboration with Fotografiska in Stockholm – text by Curator Michelle Marie Roy.

In the Peace Park in cooperation with Travel for Peace: Tom Hatlestad ”Tracing Freedom”. The exhibition is a result of Tom Hatlestads travel in a Land Rover from Norway to Bangladesh. Along the way he comes in contact with and photographs people who describe how they experience the concept of freedom. The outdoor exhibition opens in the Peace Park on Saturday 25 June at 5.30 pm, as part of the Peace Day in Risør.

The exhibition is open every day between 11 - 17 through to the 7th of August. Admission: 50,- Children under 16: Free.
The Cafe is open on Saturdays and Sundays.

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