This season we catch up with one of Iceland’s most documented and internationally acclaimed photographers Ragnar Axelsson, also known as RAX. Ragnar Axelsson is known for his stunning photographs of the arctic. He has dedicated his career to capturing the lives of the hunters, fishermen and farmers living on the fringe of the habitable world. His stories have appeared in print worldwide and his underlying message is clear. He fears that the traditional culture of the Arctic people is disappearing. What’s more, he worries that they will be affected by larger forces such as the economy and climate change. Axelsson’s current project brings together all of his experiences within one exceptional book about the Arctic as a whole.
“I have the feeling that the world needs to see and know more about the arctic,” he says. “This book is a little puzzle that forms part of a much bigger picture globally.”
Faces of the North
Ragnar Axelsson’s major arctic photography series feature collections spanning more than two decades. In Faces of the North (2004) he focuses on the lives of individuals in remote areas. However, in Last Days of the Arctic (2010) he contrasts the wider global effects of climate change with stories of subsistence hunters in Greenland and Canada. In his latest series, Behind the Mountains (2013), Axelsson presents 100 photographs which draw together his 25-year-long relationship with a small community of farmers and their annual sheep round-up in the Icelandic highlands.
“One of my best known photographs is the picture of the old man with the white beard standing near the ocean. I like that picture and the man in it became a good friend,” he says. “Many of the photographs from the Arctic have captured things that will be impossible to witness in the future.”
Iceland is Home
Iceland has a special place in his heart, of course.
“I do feel most at home here. I also like Greenland and The Faroe Islands. These are among my favourite locations,” Axelsson says.
“In Iceland one of my best places is Múlagljúfur canyon near the farm Kvísker on the south east coast of Iceland near the lagoon, Jökulsárlón. It has been a special place for me since I was a kid. Living on the farm near the canyon, I could stay there for hours just dreaming.”
