Photography

Icelandic photography spans a broad spectrum, as is evident from the work of Magnús Ólafsson (1862-1937),the photographer of daily life, technical advances and social change in the eventful years of the early 20th century; portrait photographer Sigríður Zoëga (1889-1968); Vigfús Sigurgeirsson (1900-1984), known principally for his landscape photography, and many more.

In the present day, the photo-journalist Ragnar Axelsson or RAX (b. 1958) has received countless awards over the years, working as a photographer for Icelandic daily Morgunblaðið as well as such international publications as National Geographic, Time, Life, Stern and Le Figaro.

Guðmundur Ingólfsson (b.1946), on the other hand, is a representative of the New Topographics approach to documentary photography.

Other Icelandic photographers who are well known for their landscape photography and books include e.g. Páll Stefánsson, Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson and Guðmundur Páll Ólafsson.

Haraldur Jónsson (b. 1961), Hrafnkell Sigurðsson (b. 1963), Bjargey Ólafsdóttir (b. 1972) and Katrín Elvarsdóttir (b. 1964), along with the Icelandic Love Corporation, Rúrí (b. 1951) and Gabríela Friðriksdóttir (b. 1971) work with photography in their art. In the past, artists in the SÚM group, such as Sigurður Guðmundsson, had success with photographic art.

In the winter of 2011, the exhibition IS(not) opened, a collaboration between five Icelandic authors and five young Polish photographers from the group Sputnik Photos. Guided by the Icelanders, the Polish photographers travelled far and wide around the country, and the results of the trip – photographs as well as prose –  can be seen at the exhibition and its eponymous book.

The contributing writers were Sindri Freysson, Hermann Stefánsson, Huldar Breiðfjörð, Kristín Heiða Kristinsdóttir and Sigurbjörg Þrastardóttir. The photographers were Adam Pańczuk, Agnieszka Rayss, Jan Brykczyński, Michał Łuczak and Rafał Milach.

Part of the exhibition placed second as portrait series of the year in the photography competition Pictures of the Year International. Further information: www.icelandictales.sputnikphotos.com