Tom Sandberg's photographs capture Norway's weather, but also reveal his inner world, as if the country itself had become his canvas. His photographs, shot with bold chiaroscuro or gentle greys, evoke an otherworldly quality, as if the everyday was being reimagined in a dreamlike state.
Born in 1953 in Narvik, Norway, Sandberg's father was a photojournalist who introduced him to photography at a young age. After his father abandoned the family, Sandberg helped raise his sister and eventually studied photography at Nottingham Trent University. He experimented with materials and retouching in the darkroom process, which became a crucial part of his image-making.
Sandberg's photographs often feature solitary figures or studies of strange shapes. In one, a man appears to dance with his own shadow, while another shows his young daughter as a whirligig of blonde hair. His human subjects are not just portraits but also explorations of the self. A self-portrait from 2001 reveals him sitting in an empty room, almost invisible.
Despite his reputation as a recluse, Sandberg was surrounded by people who knew him well. His friend and trustee, Torunn Liven, remembers how he would make friends with taxi drivers and was friends with Norway's crown princess. Marie, his daughter, describes her father as funny and charismatic but also challenging to be around.
Sandberg struggled with alcohol and substance abuse, which affected his personal life but not his work. His photography became a way to process his emotions and find solace in the everyday world. The exhibition at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter showcases just one photograph of Sandberg himself – a self-portrait taken in 2001, where he looks like a security guard.
The photographs in this retrospective showcase four decades of Sandberg's work, from student days to pictures made shortly before his death in 2014. They demonstrate a paradoxical character: hard-living and erratic yet able to produce contemplative, calming, and uplifting compositions.
Born in 1953 in Narvik, Norway, Sandberg's father was a photojournalist who introduced him to photography at a young age. After his father abandoned the family, Sandberg helped raise his sister and eventually studied photography at Nottingham Trent University. He experimented with materials and retouching in the darkroom process, which became a crucial part of his image-making.
Sandberg's photographs often feature solitary figures or studies of strange shapes. In one, a man appears to dance with his own shadow, while another shows his young daughter as a whirligig of blonde hair. His human subjects are not just portraits but also explorations of the self. A self-portrait from 2001 reveals him sitting in an empty room, almost invisible.
Despite his reputation as a recluse, Sandberg was surrounded by people who knew him well. His friend and trustee, Torunn Liven, remembers how he would make friends with taxi drivers and was friends with Norway's crown princess. Marie, his daughter, describes her father as funny and charismatic but also challenging to be around.
Sandberg struggled with alcohol and substance abuse, which affected his personal life but not his work. His photography became a way to process his emotions and find solace in the everyday world. The exhibition at Henie Onstad Kunstsenter showcases just one photograph of Sandberg himself – a self-portrait taken in 2001, where he looks like a security guard.
The photographs in this retrospective showcase four decades of Sandberg's work, from student days to pictures made shortly before his death in 2014. They demonstrate a paradoxical character: hard-living and erratic yet able to produce contemplative, calming, and uplifting compositions.
! Tom Sandberg's photos are like nothing I've ever seen before - they're so dreamy and ethereal, but also super personal and emotional. It's crazy to see how much he poured his heart into his work, from the way he'd chat with taxi drivers to creating these otherworldly scenes in his photographs. And yet, despite all the challenges he faced in life (like addiction), his photography was this constant source of solace for him... it's like he found a way to heal through art 
I mean... have you seen Tom Sandberg's photos? They're like, whoa! He takes these pictures of Norway's weather but they're not just about the weather, they're about his inner world too 
. I love how he uses light and shadows to create this dreamy vibe that makes you wonder if everything is okay in the real world 
. And can we talk about his personal life? Struggling with addiction doesn't define him as a person or an artist, it's like he used his photography as therapy 
. The way he explores himself and his emotions through his work is so fascinating 
. I think that's what makes his photos so captivating, they're not just about the surface level, but about the depths of human experience too 
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And can we talk about how he used to work with stuff that was all experimental, like retouching in the darkroom? That's some next-level artistry right there 
. It's crazy to think about how much of himself he poured into those pics, considering what he went through in his personal life 
... but you can tell it didn't hold him back from creating something so beautiful 
. The fact that we're getting a retrospective now is like, a blessing for all us photography fans who've been missing out on his work 
.
. Anyway, back to Tom Sandberg's photography – his use of chiaroscuro is so cool! You can almost feel the mood he's trying to convey in each shot 
. Reminds me of when I went on that solo trip to Iceland last year and saw these stunning landscapes with these eerie skies... anyhoo, what do you think about exhibitions? Should they focus more on interactive experiences or just stick to traditional displays? 
. I mean, who wouldn't want to dance with their own shadow? 
... like his self-portraits, where he's literally almost invisible – it's like he's reminding us that we're not just our outer selves, but also the spaces within ourselves 
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His photos are like, totally otherworldly - they're like he's capturing the essence of Norway itself. I love how he experiments with light and shadows, it gives his pics this ethereal quality. And can we talk about how candid he is? Like, seriously, who makes a self-portrait looking like a security guard? 
And can we talk about those self-portraits? Like, what even is going on in this one where he looks like a security guard? 
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it's crazy how he could go from being super introverted to making friends with people and even the crown princess 
his struggles with addiction don't define him tho, his art is what truly shines through 
and i love how his daughter marie describes him as funny & charismatic but also challenging to be around 
it's like he was this complex person who was full of life & emotions 
. I mean, it's good that he found solace in photography and was able to process his emotions through his art, but don't we want to talk more about how that affected him on a day-to-day level? I guess some of the people who knew him well did, like his daughter Marie, but it feels like there's still more to be said.
), but Sandberg's work feels like more than just photography – it's like a window into another world 
anyway sandberg struggled with addiction but thru photography he found solace and it shows in his work, the self-portrait from 2001 is like wow, he looks so invisible 
what a man 
. And can we talk about how much I adore his self-portraits? Like, what is up with the 2001 security guard pic lol 
... it's like he's poking fun at himself, you know? What I find really beautiful about Sandberg's work is that despite struggling with personal demons, his photography brings so much peace and calm to those who experience it. It's like a reminder that even in the midst of chaos, beauty can be found 
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