Why Photography?

Edited by Behzad Farazollahi, Bjarne Bare and Christian Tunge together with Susanne Østby Sæther, Why Photography? highlights and go into depth on the current generation of photographers and functions as a reference publication for the years to come.
They ask artists to state, with words and images, how they see and relate to photography as a technical apparatus, and why they have chosen photography as well as the potential future of the medium. Rather than being a classic scholarly publication, the goal is to release a visual manifesto that outlines many and varied viewpoints from every corner of the globe.
The publication accompanies an exhibition at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, which launched an ambitious photo program in 2017, aiming to increase the engagement with and knowledge of modern and contemporary photography as an art form. As part of the photo program, they develop a new and extensive exhibition format in the form of a triennial that will showcase recent developments in photography and camera based art more generally. The exhibition recurs every third year, bringing together recent work of around 35 international artists.
Henie Onstad will be working with a new collaborative partner as co-curators for each edition. For the first edition they are collaborating with the artist-run Oslo-based gallery MELK (Behzad Farazollahi, Christian Tunge and Bjarne Bare), who have been pivotal for promoting new practices within Scandinavian photography nationally and internationally.
The book includes interviews written and conducted by the editors and texts by Susanne Østby Sæther, Curator for Photography and New Media at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Oslo, as well as Brian Sholis, an editor, writer, and independent curator in Toronto.
Oslo, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter
21 February – 10 May 2020