The Narrow Void Between Novel and Film

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Being Here
by Øyvind Hjelmen

Øyvind Hjelmen’s 30-year practice in photography—as any fortunate gallery director, book publisher, editor, critic, or friend can attest to—has been his presentation of an entire portfolio of photographs contained within a matchbox-sized container. Being Here, Hjelmen’s fourth monograph, a clothbound limited edition of 360 signed and numbered copies, expands and recontextualizes this experience in book form. After opening with a poem by Nobel laureate Jon Fosse, the book takes readers on a visually poetic and interior journey of Hjelmen’s enigmatic photography. The collection reflects a human desire or inclination (similar to photography itself) to leave a mark, to express “I was here” or “We were here,” even if only momentarily. Like Hjelmen’s portfolios, the expertly printed photographs in Being Here are reproduced small but reveal a surprising amount of clarity and possess a quiet resonance. As the open narrative unfolds page by page, evocative themes emerge: home, travel, awakening, abandonment, transcendence, wandering, loneliness, reflection, and memory. The book allows viewers to decode the layers and narratives while inevitably drawing their feelings, memories, and associations into the personal yet universal images. Being Here is a unique book that may be the most true-to-form expression of Hjelmen’s photographic journey.

  • 21 x 24 cm (8.2 x 9.4 in)
  • Hardcover (clothbound/tipped-in images (front and back)/foil stamped)
  • 112 pages
  • 69 duotone plates
  • Edited by Øyvind Hjelmen and Russell Joslin
  • Designed by Russell Joslin
  • Poem by Jon Fosse
  • Text in English and Norwegian
  • First Edition, limited to 360 copies, each signed and numbered by the artist
  • Skeleton Key Press