Elina Brotherus: Seabound, A Logbook

Published by Kehrer Verlag, Elina Brotherus: Seabound, A Logbook is a photo book that takes you on a journey into the breathtaking landscapes of the Norwegian coast. In the images by the award-winning Finnish photographer Elina Brotherus, human figures merge with the landscape in various fascinating ways. The photographs are complemented by texts written by Elina Brotherus, Nicolai Tangen and Timo Valjakka. The Finnish Book Art Committee chose Seabound as one of the most beautiful books of 2021.

Sørlandet, »the Southland«, is the southernmost tip of Norway. Some call it the »Norwegian Riviera«. Going north, the rocky archipelago soon gives way to granitic mountains and mountain valleys. Yet, the sea is never far – Norway has the longest coastline in Europe.

Elina Brotherus’ (b. 1972 in Helsinki) photographic practice is based on making visual discoveries. When she finds a place that pleases her, she starts to play with the human figure, trying to incorporate it in the image in an intriguing way. Brotherus has a habit of using art history, and in Sørlandets Kunstmuseum’s collection she found entry points for this new body of work: some pieces are based on 19th century Romantic paintings, yet others on performative scores, i.e. by Yoko Ono, Geoffrey Hendricks, VALIE EXPORT, John Baldessari, or the Norwegian performance artist Kurt Johannesen. Seabound is her eleventh monograph.