Details on the portrait above, which is part of a series:
The project, called Eyes as Big as Plates, started off as a play on characters and protagonists from Norwegian folklore, but for Norwegian photographers Karoline Hjorth and Riitta Ikonen the series has become something more about, as they put it, “exploring the mental landscape of their neighborly and pragmatic Finns.”
The models in the photographs are captivating, not only for the strange organic headwear or clothing they wear in the photographs, but equally for the character they project through the images. Who are these quirky and fascinating people who trek across the cold wilderness, willing to dawn strange clothes and convey so much through their expressive eyes? What stories do they tell when not behind the lens? In a sense, the mystery behind the people in the images transforms them back into the folkloric images they were originally intended to be.
More images here. If you’re in New York, check out the exhibit’s closing reception at Recess Redhook, Pioneer Works on April 24th.
(Eyes as Big as Plates # Agnes II, © Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen.)
The Dish 