In his new book, prize-winning Swedish photographer Simon Johansson returns to the same territory on the Swedish island of Öland that formed the basis of his debut book, Across the Bridge (2016). Now as then, it’s not just a tale of everyday observations – it’s time to tie up loose ends and close the book.
No Man’s Land is about a close circle of people in a small village on the Swedish island of Öland. Here, farmers live side by side with an artist commune. Their lives and work are intertwined. The farmers become involved in art projects and the artists help with the farming. After living there for many years, Simon Johansson knows the villagers well. He has seen the dynamics close-up.
“By portraying everyday life in the village, I describe the common ambition to mean something to others; to be part of a context,” Simon Johansson says. “The starting point of the project is my own experience of when that context was taken away from me. The end of a relationship turned into an emotional trauma. It’s about how my life in the village is falling apart, and how I then leave a much-loved place.”
Specifications: Journal ・ 2023 ・ Hardcover ・ 22 x 25 cm. / 148 pages ・ Swedish / English ・
