The Expedition Series
Aquatint and etching on Hahnemühle 300 gsm, 60 x 42 cm (paper), 35 x 27 cm (print), 2024
This series was produced during my residency at ARTICA Svalbard in spring 2024, and depicts three of the most famous attempts to reach the North Pole: Fridjof Nansen's journey with "Fram", Salomon August Andrée's tragic balloon journey with "Örnen" and Amundsen and Nobile's airship expeditions " Norge" and "Italia", which ended in success and tragedy respectively. The small vessels, in their encounter with the Arctic's powerful and lonely landscape, not only illustrate each expedition, but may also serve as metaphors for a range of human conditions - from hubris and vanity, to loneliness and existential unease.
The titles "Arctic hides Amundsen as Nobile is found", "Where is Andrée" and "Will Nansen come back?" are all based on actual newspaper headlines from this era of exploration.
From the exhibition Theatrum Orbis Terrarum at Kunstverket Galleri, Oslo, 2024. Photos: Trond A. Isaksen