At the Edge of the World: The Photographers' Gallery, London
Ragnar Axelsson draws us into a world of strength, solitude and haunting beauty — a poignant reminder of the delicate balance at the edge of existence.
For over four decades, Icelandic photographer Ragnar Axelsson (b. 1958) has journeyed to the northernmost reaches of the world, capturing the stark beauty and resilient lives of those living in the Arctic. This exhibition draws from multiple bodies of work to present Axelsson’s deeply committed documentation of these remote landscapes and their inhabitants.
Axelsson began his career as a journalist. Driven by a sense of extreme urgency, he left the paper to focus on documenting the Arctic’s untold stories before they disappear. Hunting communities in the Arctic are integral to the cultural and social fabric of the North. Having passed down centuries-old traditions, the once-reliable sea ice now shifts unpredictably, reshaping hunting grounds and upending daily life for communities that depend on it. As the younger generation moves away from traditional hunting, Axelsson’s images reveal a world in transition.
Axelsson immerses himself in Arctic communities for weeks, earning the trust and friendship necessary to portray the unguarded realities of their everyday lives. “I write down what people say and how they feel; I try to capture that in their eyes,” Axelsson explains. His work is both a race against time and a profound act of witnessing, as he aims to convey the effects of climate change as a very real presence for these communities, rather than an uncertain future.
