Simon Johansson: No Man’s Land
In his new book, prize-winning Swedish photographer Simon Johansson returns to the same territory on the Swedish island of Öland that formed the basis of his debut book, Across the Bridge (2016). Now as then, it's not just a tale of everyday observations – it’s time to tie up loose ends and close the book.
No Man’s Land is about a close circle of people in a small village on the Swedish island of Öland. Here, farmers live side by side with an artist commune. Their lives and work are intertwined. The farmers become involved in art projects and the artists help with the farming. After living there for many years, Simon Johansson knows the villagers well. He has seen the dynamics close-up.
“By portraying everyday life in the village, I describe the common ambition to mean something to others; to be part of a context,” Simon Johansson says. “The starting point of the project is my own experience of when that context was taken away from me. The end of a relationship turned into an emotional trauma. It’s about how my life in the village is falling apart, and how I then leave a much-loved place.”
The photographer is currently working on the No Man's Land soundtrack, which will be released on all digital platforms and on vinyl in 2024.
75 b/w images • Editing and design: Gösta Flemming, Simon Johansson • Text: Simon Johansson • Translation to English: Maria Morris • Hard cover • 220 x 250 mm • 148 pages • Swedish/English • Handwritten text: Maria Jonsson • Document and typography: Johan Lindberg • Prepress and printing: Narayana Press • ISBN 978-91-87939-74-7 • 2023
Shortlisted for Athens Photo Festival 2024.
Awarded Gold in “Book/Documentary” category in the competition PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2024.
