Book launch: Max Barel – Susurrus

Susurrus brings together a photographic body of work developed over recent years, exploring the subtle oddity of everyday life. Still lifes, portraits, landscapes and ambiguous scenes are presented in dialogue with one another, touching on themes such as isolation and decay. Rather than following a linear narrative, the publication unfolds like a visual novel composed of several loosely connected stories, intended to be experienced in fragments. As the title suggests, Susurrus evokes a soft whisper or rustle, often associated with wind through trees, waves, or muted conversations. The publication includes texts by Nina Strand and Olivia McIntyre and is published by Blackbook Publications.

Max Barel (b. 1996, NO) holds a degree from Oslo School of Photography and HDK-Valand in Gothenburg. In his photography, there is a particular focus on still life and landscape photography. With a deep understanding of storytelling and the photographic medium, Barel explores the relationships between the familiar and the unfamiliar, grounded in the complexity of anonymous objects and seemingly everyday situations. His photographs challenge our instinctive need to ascribe meaning or a narrative to what we see, inviting us to question our perception of both the ordinary and the strange in our surroundings.

Barel’s work has previously been exhibited at KB Contemporary (NO), Bastille Design Center (FR), Röda Sten Konsthall (SE), Gamle Munch (NO), Galleri Thomassen (SE), Kösk (NO), Kommunale Galerie (DE), Gothenburg Museum of Art (SE), and A60 Contemporary Art Space (IT), among others. Barel is represented in public and private collections. He lives and works in Telemark and Oslo (NO) and is represented by BRUU STUDIOS™.

maxbarel.com

The evening is organised in collaboration with Galleri Résistance.