Ralph Nykvist is not one of those forward-thinking photographers. He usually observes what is happening from a certain distance, and judging by the pictures, few were aware that they were being photographed. Furthermore, what happens in the images can rather be described as non-events than events. The images often depict various forms of gaps or breaks: people who pass by or do not see each other, waiting and meetings that do not take place even though the people are standing side by side. But they are also about people who for a moment seem disconnected from the outside world – deeply immersed in themselves. More than distancing, the distance found in the images can be considered an expression of respect and it excludes neither closeness nor intimacy. The world Ralph Nykvist’s pictures show is in an uplifting way both familiar and foreign.
This exhibition is Ralph Nykvist’s largest to date and includes roughly 200 photographs from three decades. It provides an overall picture of Ralph Nykvist’s rich work and special emphasis has been placed on his two books In Sweden (1976) and Karnevalen i Venedig (1991). During the 1970s and 1980s, Ralph Nykvist was associated with the journal Aktuell Fotografi, which had its editorial office in Helsingborg. To broaden perspectives, the exhibition also shows the role that the newspaper played for Swedish photography. With Helsingborg as a base, the people around Aktuell Fotografi contributed to the exchange of images and thoughts both within and outside the country, something that became of decisive importance for the development of photography in Sweden.).
Ralph Nykvist, Atomic march towards Baresebäck, 1976
A crucial prerequisite for the current exhibition is that Helsingborg’s museum received a donation in 2020 with all of Ralph Nykvist’s negatives, which are thereby preserved and available to the public and researchers. Curator for the exhibition is Niclas Östlind, fil. dr. in photography at HDK-Valand, and the material has been produced and selected in close collaboration with Ronny Ekdahl at Helsingborg’s museum. In connection with the exhibition, a newly produced film about Ralph Nykvist made by Anna Bank is shown at Helsingborg’s museum, and among the participants is the friend and colleague Anders Petersen. The work with the exhibition is also the basis for a photo-rich monograph on Ralph Nykvist that will be published in early 2023.
The exhibition is produced by Axel Swanstein from Dunker’s cultural center.
