Danish photographers Nicolai Howalt and Trine Søndergaard have so many interesting and beautiful images that I couldn’t decide which to share here. Howalt’s projects 3×1 (2001) and Boxer (2003) are both worth seeing - as are Søndergaard’s Now That You Are Mine (1997-2000) and Versus (2003).

Untitled, 2001 (from “3×1″)
© Nicolai Howalt

Boxer #13, 2001 (from “Boxer”)
© Nicolai Howalt

Untitled, 1997-2000 (from “Now That You Are Mine”)
© Trine Søndergaard

Untitled, 2003 (from “Versus”)
©Trine Søndergaard

Most intriguing however might be the collaborative work between the two photographers. One of these projects, titled How to Hunt (2005), caught my attention right away.

Skov II / Wood II, 2005 (from “How To Hunt”)
© Nicolai Howalt / Trine Søndergaard

Kromanns Remise II, 2005 (from “How To Hunt”)
© Nicolai Howalt / Trine Søndergaard

Nordvest Såtten / The Northwest Beat, 2005 (from “How To Hunt”)
© Nicolai Howalt / Trine Søndergaard

From the artist statement:

Hunting today can be seen as a ritualized performance of something that was once a basic human need. It’s also a classical theme of art history, from cave paintings to the Renaissance. We wanted to locate this historical theme in a modern context, where - at least in the affluent post-industrial West - it can be seen as a symbol of ‘the good life’ and the longing for some kind of authentic relationship to nature.

This thread is central to How to Hunt. There’s no blood, no guts - the kill itself is not in focus. Just as modern society chooses to elide the actual reality of slaughter, so our images are an aestheticised rendition of the hunt, reflecting its recreative rather than essential nature.

Dying Birds (2006) is another collaborative endeavor by Howalt and Søndergaard. This project, unlike How to Hunt, seems to concern itself more directly with what they refer to as “the kill itself.”

Untitled, 2006 (from “Dying Birds”)
© Nicolai Howalt / Trine Søndergaard

Untitled, 2006 (from “Dying Birds”)
© Nicolai Howalt / Trine Søndergaard

Untitled, 2006 (from “Dying Birds”)
© Nicolai Howalt / Trine Søndergaard

I have to say, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been this taken by a photographer (let alone two at the same time). Both of their portfolios are consistently engaging, visually intriguing, and smart. In November, Howalt and Søndergaard will be showing these two collaborative projects at Silverstein Gallery in New York.

Not to be missed.

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