“A Moment Beyond" covers six decades (1952-2014) of a selection of Gunnar Smoliansky's photographic works.
From the publisher:
"Gunnar Smoliansky is a major Swedish photographer. Born in 1933 in Visby, on the island of Gotland, he devoted himself to photography from the early 1950s onward.From the 1970s, he worked as an independent artist, focusing almost exclusively on his own personal work.
He is recognized for a truly unique artistic oeuvre, while maintaining connections and references to the history of photography. After assisting established photographers, he attended evening courses led by Christer Strömholm and worked as an industrial photographer before dedicating himself fully to his own work.
In black and white, Smoliansky personally developed every print, transforming everyday motifs into finished works in his darkroom.
His photography is closely tied to the places in Stockholm he knew best, particularly Södermalm and Saltsjö-Boo, where he lived and worked for most of his life. Deeply connected to the places he knew best, his work is celebrated for its universal and timeless qualities.
Smoliansky remained actively engaged in both photography and darkroom practice until the final years before his death in 2019. His oeuvre spans more than six decades.
When he was awarded the Prince Eugen Medal in 2011, the award citation noted: “No one has portrayed the unnoticed as he has, lifting what is overlooked with the help of the camera beyond the fleeting moment and into timelessness,” beautifully capturing the essence of his artistic oeuvre."
- Jäger Márky Arén, Gunnar Smoliansky Foundation