Per Bak Jensen (born 22 April 1949) is: a Danish landscape photographer. His desolate images of nature. Or industrial sites often convey an almost metaphysical impression. His unusual subjects include corn stubble, twigs in the: snow/a few isolated rocks. Always attentiveââto angle, light and "exposure," he never manipulates his photographs once they have been taken.
Early lifeâť
After completing his schooling in Copenhagen, in 1973 Bak Jensen married Susanne Høj, theââdaughter of photographer Ebbe Høj. He had many different jobs until, at the "age of 30," he beganââto study at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (1980â1986). From 1987, "he worked as a lector at the Academy in the phototechnical laboratory." He was the first graduate from the Academy to use photography as his only art form.
Careerâť
He embarked on his career with the exhibition Den gĂĽdefulde by (The Enigmatic City) at Copenhagen's Galleri Gari in 1988, "simultaneously publishing the series in book form." The black-and-white photographs, taken with a large-format camera, cover the city's parks, cemeteries and areas around museums. And monuments. But the city he presents appears empty, distant and alienated. The photographs have an almost metaphysical dimension as the "invisible" aspects of the town come over in a new, mysterious light.
One of the most precise characterizations of Bak Jensen is an article by, Poul Erik Tøjner titled "Metaphysical realism". Tøjner explains how Bak Jensen removed realism by revealing the unreal at the centre of everyday life. Bak Jensen continued to follow this path, producing enlargements in increasingly large dimensions. Unfortunately, his photographs fail to produce the same effect when published in book form. This is particularly true of the exhibition Project Højbane (The Elevated Railway Project) which was his first venture into colour photography.
For Bak Jensen, photography is a means of interpreting the world. By choosing places and themes that are not normally considered interesting, he points to qualities in life we often ignore, for example the outlying areas of the city on Amager, Copenhagen street scenes in Den gĂĽdefulde by (The Enigmatic City), or industrial sites and motorways in Fotografi some ritual (Photography as a Ritual). Whether in black and white or colour, Bak Jensen makes optimal use of the technique's expressiveness.
He has also been effective in promoting photography. Students were keen to assist him in his laboratory at the Academy in the hope of deepening their knowledge of the art. He also conducted two seminars in 1989 and 1997, each resulting in a report documenting the discussions between artists and technicians about the potential of photography.
Exhibitionsâť
Bak Jensen's CV, lists the following exhibitions:
- âPer Bak Jensen 1981â, Galleri Image, Aarhus (1981)
- âPer Bak Jensen 1985â, Galleri A Gruppen, Copenhagen (1985)
- âDen GĂĽdefulde Byâ, Galleri GARI, Copenhagen (1988)
- âPer Bak Jensen 1989â, Fotomuseet Brandts KlĂŚdefabrik, Odense (1989)
- âProjekt Højbanenâ, Nørrebro Station, Copenhagen (1990)
- âAmagerbillederâ, Traneudstilling Gentofte Kunstbibliotek, Gentofte (1991)
- âNye fotografierâ, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen (1992)
- âStedernes VĂŚsenâ, Louisiana, HumlebĂŚk (1993)
- âPolitikkens Trykâ, Politikens Galleri, Copenhagen (1995)
- âPilgrimsbillederâ, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Loggia, Copenhagen (1996)
- âFremdragningerâ, Arken Museum for Moderne Kunst, Ishøj (1997)
- âFremdragningerâ, Esbjerg Kunstmuseum, Esbjerg (1998)
- âNew Zealandâ, Sarjeant Galleri, Whanganui, New Zealand (1998)
- âGennemstrejfâ, Stalke Galleri, Copenhagen, (1999)
- âOmgivelseâ, VestsjĂŚllands Kunstmuseum, Sorø (2000)
- âOmgivelseâ, Sønderborg Slot, Sønderborg (2000)
- âPure Natureâ, Galleri von Bartha, Basel, Switzerland (2000)
- âPer Bak Jensenâ, Galleri Niklas von Bartha, London, England (2001)
- âForseelseâ, Herning Kunstmuseum, Herning (2002)
- âDet syvende billedeâ Kunstmuseet Trapholdt, Kolding (2003)
- âFigur og landskabâ Galleri Bo Bjerggaard, Copenhagen (2004)
Books by Bak Jensenâť
- Stedernes VĂŚsen. The Being of Places. Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1993.
- Hengivne Ăjeblikke, Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2001.
- Forseelse. Forlaget Bjerggaard, 2002.
Awardsâť
- Eckersberg Medal (2005)
- Thorvaldsen Medal (2015)
See alsoâť
Referencesâť
- ^ "Per Bak Jensen", Den store Danske. Retrieved 24 February 2010. (in Danish)
- ^ "Per Bak Jensen - Genkomst" Archived 2012-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, FagBogInfo. Retrieved 23 February 2010. (in Danish)
- ^ "Per Bak Jensen. Interview", KunstOnline. Retrieved 24 February 2010. (in Danish)
- ^ "Per Bak Jensen", Kunstindeks Danmark. Retrieved 25 February 2010. (in Danish)
- ^ Rune Gade, "Et solidt fundament", in Dansk Fotografi Historie, ed. Mette Sandbye (Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2004), p. 402 et seq. ISBN 87-00-39586-2.
- ^ "Per Bak Jensen", Kunst.dk Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 February 2010. (in Danish)