The minimal extremist

Is Morten Løberg more than the consistent minimalist on the Norwegian art photo scene? A look into his photographic history reveals an artistic practice far broader than what he is mostly known for.

This article must necessarily be a report on extremities in photographic practices. For what can one say about a photographer who almost obliterates his own expression? In a series of pictures of snowy landscapes light is so soft that it is barely possible to glimpse the outline of trees in the distance. The same thing happens with a fence or some grass in a snowy field – everything is absorbed by the consuming whiteness of the snow. Almost. The light glows in the winter mist in a way that makes form disappear. Almost. Physical form becomes self-effacing. Almost.

It is no wonder that the «grand old man» in Norwegian photography, photographer Leif Preus (1928-2013), asked when facing Morten Løberg’s photography: «How little can a picture contain and yet tell something?» For no matter how far these images tend towards the extreme, it is just as much – or perhaps little – left that you can see and understand what it is all about. It is this ability to balance on photography’s knife edge that constitutes Morten Løberg’s creative strength.

But do not think that Morten Løberg’s photographic practice is confined to fine tuned hiking in the visual outfield of photographic expression. Sure enough his portfolio contains many pictures of minimalistic simplicity: A bridge that cuts through the emptiness. A pendulum against a white wall. Elegant skating tracks on ice. Modernistic architecture as formal statements. An airfoil as pure form.

There is more. Just beneath the surface there is a complexity pointing beyond form itself. When the small outline of a plane barely touches a large, black shape that fills a large part of the surface, the image becomes potent. Imagination is triggered. The possibility of a close disaster is apparent. The truck on a bridge can tip over the railing at any time. Everything is out of balance. The viewer’s gaze is confronted with an underlying unease.

There is still more. Morten Løberg has moved into unchartered territory and explored more of photography’s extremities. He has worked with infrared film, a technical innovation from the Cold War era. And his pinhole images point at the prehistoric era of photography and utilizes the basic and most primitive photographic technique. The result is a series of poetically landscape images that have a distinct and timeless atmosphere of soft contrasts and shapes.

Morten Løberg was born in Hamar, Norway, in 1953. Like many others, he early joined the local photo club, but he quickly grew out of this environment’s standardized solutions. He is trained as a professional photographer, but self-taught as an artist. That has not prevented him to occupy a central position in the Norwegian fine art photography scene. His penchant for abstract expression was awakened in the early 70s. He found an environment in the association of fine art photographers in Norway, Forbundet Frie Fotografer, where he has also been chairman of the board. His many merits include editor of Fotografi.no, plus the fact that he is an accomplished writer, including the author of numerous books. He has also been an art critic on photography in Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet. On a long list of exhibits a solo exhibition at the Preus Fotomuseum, today the national museum of photography in Norway, ranks high.

At mature age Morten Løberg orients himself into a world of projects. He is adept at connecting text and images, which he among other things has shown through a blog during an artist in residence stay in Paris. Traveling to the Arctic has proven fruitful, and especially his predilection for Svalbard has yielded positive results. Here he has been able to immerse himself in his minimalist expression. This is a tendency that places him into a larger context. It is natural to compare him with the early Tom Sandberg, who evolved in the same art photo environment where Morten Løberg worked in the late 70s.

It is also tempting to see his work in a larger artistic context. Minimalism has many directions, and Morten Løberg moves in a landscape ranging from Jan Groth’s sensitive poetic lines to the strict form and line variations of Sol LeWitt. Regardless of art historical references Morten Løberg has managed to locate his own, distinctive landscape. He operates in a photographic context where extremes become the norm, and where the distinctive becomes personal.

LARS ELTON

Lars Elton is a freelance journalist, critic and editor. He is art and architecture critic in Norwegian newspapers Dagsavisen and VG and writes about art and culture-related topics in a wide range of publications.