Lars Tunbjork: Retrospective

Lars Tunbjork: Retrospective. Second printing (2019). Large format hardback. In new condition. No markings. This is a brand new book. Dust jacket in removable protective sleeve. Please see pictures. PayPal accepted, any questions please get in touch.

Lars Tunbjork: Retrospective

Lars Tunbjörk had an astute eye and he brilliantly dissected the socio-political Swedish landscape like no other photographer has in modern times. He was inspired by the Swedish masters such as Christer Stromholm. However, soon discovered his own style by taking a cue from the American photographers of the 1970s. From the likes of Stephen Shore and William Eggleston. So, Tunbjork’s images amplified the most mundane and absurd aspects of modern life in a surreal way. Generally using the hard light of flash photography.

Eventually, this became his signature style. What’s more is he influenced a generation of photographers after him. Whatever subject he was documenting, suburbia or offices spaces, he did it in such a revealing way with a stark, clear-eyed honesty layered with a sense of humour. Tunbjörk’s work is best experienced in the photo book format. He used the medium to build loose narratives and to showcase his extraordinary projects. He released more than 10 photobooks, which include Home and Vinter. And thus he came to pre-eminence with the now rare book Office, with Martin Parr and Gerry Badger describing him as ‘an acute observer of modern life.

About Lars Tunbjork

Lars Tunbjork (b. 1956). Whether creating an acid portrait of Sweden, representing the nightmarish world of business offices. Or tapping into the desolate uniformity of petrified, petit-bourgeois neighbourhoods, examining the state of marginalised peoples in a nation praised for its system of social protection. Even exploring the strangeness of a town on the cusp of the Arctic Circle. Lars Tunbjörk has totally forgotten his black and white beginnings. However, all his energy is now devoted to the exploration of colour. Which he approaches in the style of 1970’s American photographers. So, this is his starting point for questioning the world, a series of interrogations more than observations, which he develops without pessimism but with an undeniable affliction softened by a biting humour. Therefore, over time, his approach has become radicalised and purified by being less and less anecdotal. Consequentially, his series no longer represents characters but rather the often absurd track of their presence and their actions.

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