Being Here

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.