Christian Houge Norwegian, b. 1972

Norwegian photographer Christian Houge’s large-scale photographs document places of extreme isolation that seem to exist outside of time – either decades ahead of or behind the present.

The uncanny, snowy landscapes that form the series “Arctic Technology” were taken on the island of Svalbard near the North Pole. Due to its pure atmosphere and northerly position, scientists have installed extensive technical constructions for climate research and space observations.

The “Barentsburg” and “Pyramid” series were taken in the Russian mining towns of the same respective names. After decades of prosperity during the Soviet era, these settlements have declined or shut down entirely. The few remaining people in Barentsburg seem frozen in time. The abandoned buildings of Pyramid speak to a Communist ideology of progress now relegated to history and entropy.

For the work in his series titled “Shadow Within,” Houge spent months living with a pack of wolves – gaining their trust and taking remarkably intimate and revealing portraits. Although none of his photographs exhibit any trace of humans, the extreme proximity of the artist to the wolves is implicit and unnerving. These images aren’t just about wolves; they’re about our relationship to the wild and to nature as a whole. They’re also about the untamed aspects of our collective and individual psyches. They present a challenge to stand face to face with our darkest demons and deepest fears.