Erik Stenbeck - Photography
Erik Stenbeck´s photography is a personal exploration of the deep connection between humanity and nature. Born in Norway in 1951, Stenbeck´s academic backgroud at the University of Oslo and Østfold College, along with early research on the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, shaped his unique artistic vision.
For Stenbeck, photography is not just a visual medium, but a way to uncover existential truths hidden in everyday life. His photographs are observations, capturing the spontaneity of moments as they unfold. None of his compositions are staged, allowing for an authentic glimpse into the human experience. His work often focuses on themes of isolation, fragility, and the interplay between light and shadow, with a strong preference for black-and-white photography. His subjects - whether landscapes, portraits, or architecture - reveal a quiet authenticity, encouraging viewers “to see the unseen”.
Exhibited internationally, including notable showcases in Barcelona, Venice, Oslo and Fredrikstad, Stenbeck has been recognized with multiple Honorable Mentions at the International Photography Awards, and his work has been featured in publications like FotoNostrum Magazine and the book "The World Of Photography 2". He has also earned recognition from the Tokyo International Photo Awards and the London International Creative Competition.
Central to Stenbeck´s philosophy is a commitment to capturing the raw essence of existence. His photography goes beyond documentation, offering meditative reflections on the human experience and its connection to the natural world. By stripping away distractions through his use of black-and-white imagery, Stenbeck invites the viewers to engage with the deeper layers of life´s complexity.
Through his lens, Erik Stenbeck challenges us to confront the beauty and mystery of the world, creating a visual dialogue between the seen and unseen, nature and humanity, in his evocative body of work.
Erik Stenbeck - Photography
The Mountain We Climb
The mountains—majestic, immovable, eternal—appear profoundly different when seen in shifting light, changing weather, or from a new...
Stages
This variation in perception is not just a visual phenomenon; it mirrors how we experience the world within us and around us. Just as light...
Call Of The Mountain
We often believe we know something or someone entirely. But do we? Much like seeing only part of a mountain, we sometimes grasp only...
Change Will Come
There are times when we look closer—when life slows us down and we begin to see the fine details: the crevices, the textures, the truth...
Impressions 1
But what about the world outside us—the media we consume, the voices we trust, the pressures we feel? These, too, are like shifting weather...
Impressions 2
So what is truth? Is it the mountain in the morning or in the storm? Is it found in the full panorama or in the fine detail? The answer is...
Impressions 3
And trust—perhaps it belongs to those who admit they do not see everything, who remain open to new light, new angles, and who seek to...
Impressions 4
In the end, the mountains are still there. Constant. But how we see them, and what we understand from them, depends on where we stand—and...
Nature´s Response
Uncertain Certainty is a visual meditation on the paradoxes that shape human existence. Through a series of photographs, it explores the...
Light dwells behind the Night
Themes of transformation, struggle, and renewal recur throughout the series. Works such as «In Transition», «Changing Times», and «Into the...
"A Bird of Prey rests inside of Me" from "The Perspective of Power"
The Perspective of Power investigates power as a spatial, visual, and symbolic construct. Drawing on the metaphor of elevation, the project...
Beyond Existence
Stages 2
As every flower fades and all youth Departs, so life at every stage, So every virtue, so our grasp of truth, Blooms in its day and may not...
The Unknown
Alone
Whispering Hope
The Last Supper - After
The empty room at Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid reminds me of “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci, the place of one of this world’s best...
Divine Light
Closeness
Deep is the Ocean - The Origin?
Nature, time, and mortality weave through the project as reminders of our shared fragility. From «Deep Is the Ocean – the Origin?» to «It...
Into the Abyss
Anatomy of a lived Life
My work “Anatomy Of A Lived Life” shows an elderly woman in two versions, where one is detailed while the other is unclear. She is looking...
Dreams of lost Time
My photo is from a beach in Lekeitio in the north of Spain with the various effects of the tide on the landscape. The title „Dreams Of Lost...
Call of the Mountain 2
"A Bird of Prey" from "The Perspective of Power"
The Perspective of Power investigates power as a spatial, visual, and symbolic construct. Drawing on the metaphor of elevation, the project...
It is what it is - Is that all?
Nature, time, and mortality weave through the project as reminders of our shared fragility. From «Deep Is the Ocean – the Origin?» to «It...
It´s not Easy
Doubt - Who owns the Truth?
Growth
Aftermath
In Transition
Before the Storm
Traces
Divided
Exhibition - FotoNostrum Barcelona
Static Cinema Venice 2025
Static Cinema Venice 2025 - INVITATION
As if from a Fairy Tale 1
The mountains of the Dolomites rise like ancient giants, powerful and silent. Light finds its way through the cloud cover and settles in...
As if from a Fairy Tale 2
In an artistic context, the image can be interpreted as a romantic and symbolic depiction of landscape, where nature functions both as...
As if from a Fairy Tale 3
The use of light and shadow can be interpreted as a visual and emotional field of tension. The light that selectively “blesses” parts of...
As if from a Fairy Tale 4
That the landscape can be experienced as “timeless” and “between reality and fantasy” lends the image a dreamlike quality, which may also...
"Flying High" from "The Perspective of Power"
The Perspective of Power investigates power as a spatial, visual, and symbolic construct. Drawing on the metaphor of elevation, the project...
"High They Fly" from "The Perspective of Power"
The Perspective of Power investigates power as a spatial, visual, and symbolic construct. Drawing on the metaphor of elevation, the project...
The Mountain We Climb
"When The Vulture Watches" from the project "The Perspective of Power"
The Perspective of Power investigates power as a spatial, visual, and symbolic construct. Drawing on the metaphor of elevation, the project...
"Confrontation" from "The Perspective of Power"
The Perspective of Power investigates power as a spatial, visual, and symbolic construct. Drawing on the metaphor of elevation, the project...