See the scars under the 'surreal' glacier | Icelandic photographer Ragnar Axelsson

Paper journal

2023-08-08

The following article comes from Qichi, author avant_ Ant

RAGNAR AXELSSON

Ragnar Axelsson, also known as Rax, was born in Iceland in 1958.

The photos taken by Rax have been published in New York Times, Newsweek, Time magazine, and National Geographic magazine.

After nearly thirty years of Arctic travel, Rax became one of the most famous documentary photographers of his time. He used his camera to record the tremendous changes in the environment and traditional lifestyles of polar regions, vividly showcasing the subtle emotions of "love and death" between humans and nature in the beautiful and ethereal northern scenery.

And it is also through Rax's photography that we have gained an understanding of the lives of people in remote and unfamiliar polar regions, as well as the primitive and ethereal scenery there.

《Glacier》

Glacier "is Rax's ode to Iceland's glaciers, where he filmed the glaciers covering his hometown on foot and by plane, creating a poetic record of a future without them.

Image from Glacier Ragnar Axelsson

《The Face of the North》

Image from Glacier Ragnar Axelsson

These people are a part of nature, so they can perceive everything. I believe that when you look at the faces of people in this part of the world, you are watching a disappearing way of life.

--Lagner Axelson

The Face of the North "is a collection of black and white photos taken by Rax about the disappearing lifestyles of Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland.

Image from Glacier Ragnar Axelsson

The book collects photos of farmers, hunters, and fishermen taken by Rax, as well as his personal travel records. From the book, we can see the subtle interaction between residents and the environment here, as well as the impact on their lives and future in the context of climate change.

《Behind the Mountain》

Image from Glacier Ragnar Axelsson

In Behind the Mountain, Rax focuses on the farmers in the most difficult but also the most magnificent grazing area in the Icelandic wilderness, and takes pictures of livestock herders fighting against natural wonders, climbing highlands and crossing rivers in the ravines, hills, violent snowstorms and rainstorm The scene of driving back the fattened livestock that were eaten in the summer through countless hardships to the farm.

Image from Glacier Ragnar Axelsson

Highland nomadism is one of Iceland's largest legacies, with a centuries old historical tradition. Every autumn, Icelandic farmers enter the interior of Iceland to gather livestock from summer pastures. Their search methods mainly involve cycling or hiking, which requires unity, coordination, and exceptional endurance.

《The Last Day of the Arctic》

Image from Glacier Ragnar Axelsson

The New York Times and The Times described this work as "a gift to the eyes, heart, and soul

The Last Day of the Arctic "has earned Rax widespread praise. In this work, Rax focuses his camera on the Arctic, showcasing the threat and changes to the traditional way of life of the Inuit people caused by the rapid warming of the Arctic in the face of global warming. It also indicates that significant changes are leading to other parts of the world.

Image from Glacier Ragnar Axelsson

With the warming of the Arctic and the thinning of the ice layer, hunters who use ice as a hunting ground are gradually disappearing.