Living abroad has made me reflect on my roots and what it is to be Norwegian,” New York-based photographer Anne Senstad says. “Many artists and writers throughout the years have dealt with the theme of being Norwegian, perhaps without knowing that this is what they were doing, but in retrospect their work has become equivalent of embodying the Norwegian spirit – I’m thinking about Ibsen, Bjørnson, and Munch, who all on various levels stand for and depict the Norwegian soul.”
Senstad wanted to use photography to show what she considers “typical Norwegian.” She chose 50 male musicians, explorers, and artists and tried to capture their “Norwegian uniqueness.” The portraits became an exhibit touring the U.S., and the book “The Norwegians.”
“Norwegians are often sort of “modern Indians,” closely tied to nature even though most Norwegians now live in cities and lead modern lives – a lot of people tend to have their unique way of expressing themselves.” To capture the Norwegian character on film she asked her subjects to wear their usual clothing, except for the Sami, who she asked to don traditional garb. She was about to photograph Roger Ludvigsen, a Norwegian Sami, but he had forgotten his white neck scarf, a mandatory element of the costume. In a laid-back, no-worries attitude – that many Norwegians embody – he thought for a minute and said: “I’ll just use some toilet paper as a scarf instead, no one will notic.” (See photo on opposite page.)
Senstad chooses strong colors for her backgrounds. “People wear a lot of red. Ski outfits used to be all red or dark blue, the flag has a lot of red in it, and on May 17 – Constitution Day – you see a sea of red flags during the children’s parade. This is a strong childhood memory Norwegians have. Blue symbolizes the blue of the North Sea, fishing and sailing. Norwegians are so close to nature and have a lot of respect for it.”
Senstad first came to New York to study photography at Parsons School of Design, and then worked as an assistant for other photographers and at a gallery. “I have always been drawn to portraiture as a visual language to understanding the human complexity, as well as a psychological portrait of a person's inner make-up,” she said. Her work in this area even brought her to shoot portraits of Robert Redford, Julianne Moore, and Mike Tyson.
The Norwegian photographer has also worked extensively with abstract photography. Her latest undertaking is “The Pink Project,” a study of the notion of pink and euphoria which is based on her one-of-a-kind light installations.
“The Norwegians” is on sale at Scandinavia House and International Center of Photography in New York, or contact the artist at anne@senstad.com or by calling (212) 221-3508. A planned follow-up project is a portrait series capturing 50 Norwegian women.
Ande Somby, Sami Professor of Law
Kjetil Rolnesss, Journalist and Singer
Torbjørn Sørensen, Carpenter