Lars Tunbjörk – A View From the Side

The summer exhibition 2026 at VB Photography Centre presents one of the key figures in Nordic photography. The Swedish photographer Lars Tunbjörk (1956–2015) is known for his distinctive way of portraying everyday life: bright light, precise composition, and subtle humor reveal both the strangeness and humanity of ordinary situations. His influence on photography in the 1990s was so strong that people spoke of a “Tunbjörkian” gaze—a way of looking slightly to the side, uncovering the peculiarities of daily life in a way few others could.

A View From the Side exhibition is built around Tunbjörk’s key series, moving from one atmosphere to another. Somewhere between the fluorescent light of the workplace and the slush soaking into one’s shoes, there is a moment when people live out their dreams. The anticipation of the summer holiday carries through November, and few moments capture the feeling of freedom as clearly as setting an automatic out-of-office reply. The exhibition guides the viewer through the series Office, Country Beside Itself, I Love Borås, and Winter, offering a cross-section of life after the economic recession of the 1990s, its quiet recovery, and the rise of consumer culture.

At the same time, the exhibition offers a glimpse into Swedish life. The reality Tunbjörk portrays is deeply local, yet surprisingly universal. The landscapes of the welfare state, the rhythms of working life, and the anticipation of leisure are not so far from our own. In his images, offices, shopping malls, and suburban spaces are not merely locations but states of mind. Bright light, flat pictorial surfaces, and the subtle oddities of everyday life create a world where order and detachment coexist. His gaze is precise and unflinching, yet gently ironic.

Tunbjörk’s visual language continues to resonate today. His way of seeing and depicting everyday life lives on not only in photography, but also in television, fashion, and wider visual culture. His work has also inspired a theatre production, which premiered on the main stage of Kulturhuset in December 2025.

Tunbjörk had an exceptionally wide-ranging career. He combined a highly personal artistic vision with the demands of editorial photography, making him a sought-after international photographer. Tight deadlines acted as a creative force, and many of his personal projects originated from commissioned work. In 1994, he joined Agence VU and went on to work for prestigious publications such as GEO, Libération, Time, and The New York Times Magazine.

Tunbjörk passed away suddenly in 2015. A year after his death, the Lars Tunbjörk Foundation was established to preserve and promote his photographic and artistic legacy. The foundation’s work ensures that Tunbjörk’s unique way of seeing and portraying the world continues to live on for future generations.

The exhibition has been realized in collaboration with the Lars Tunbjörk Foundation, the Tore G Wärenstam Foundation and the Stockholm Kulturhuset.