Matthew Mark Luke John

  • 2015
  • Torbjørn Rødland
  • Chromogenic print
  • 140 x 110 cm

Portraits form a large part of Rødland’s work and he photographs subjects of all ages. Matthew Mark Luke John is the portrait of a very young boy seen in profile, who occupies most of the picture. He rests his young forehead on his hands, his fingers interlaced, as he leans on a piece of furniture. With his head bent slightly forward and his eyes closed, he could be lost in thought, dozing off, or mid prayer as the Evangelists of the title would suggest. Timeless and otherworldly, this intimate portrait exudes a sense of tranquility that is heightened by soft rays of sunshine. 

© Torbjørn Rødland © Primae / David Bordes

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Torbjørn Rødland

Since the late 1990s, Torbjørn Rødland has explored the power of images using color photographs of varying size—from small to monumental—mostly developed from film in a studio.

Carefully staged to increase their emotional and narrative power, his compositions, still lifes and portraits, cultivate ambiguity, often creating an uncomfortable feeling of tension while provoking strong emotional reactions ranging from attraction to repulsion. 

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