SOBOL, Jacob Aue - Arrivals and Departures. A Journey from Moscow to Bejing

Personal statement by Danish MAGNUM photographer Jacob Aue SOBOL

"Going onboard the legendary Transsiberian is a journey I’ve always wanted to make. I was born in Denmark, a country you can cross in five hours. But Russia is something else, it is a huge country!“ (Jacob Aue SOBOL)

Background information

As a test of the new Leica M Monochrom digital black-and-white camera, Magnum photographer Jacob Aue SOBOL made a trek from Moscow to Ulan Bator to Beijing in 28 days, often making more than 1,000 photographs each day for 28 days straight. But along the 10 000 km journey, between Moscow and Beijing, he came across one problem: the train was empty. Jacob Aue SOBOL then directed the lens of his camera towards the windows and was fascinated by what he discovered outside. 'This cold made my blood boil'.  At each stop, he would take the time to explore the wide open spaces, the snow-covered landscapes, the Russian forests, the Mongolian deserts and the Chinese mountains. He also came accross people: 'To get to know the places, I wanted to meet the inhabitants, even if it was only a brief encounter'.

Content

For 'Arrivals and Departures' by Jacob Aue SOBOL photographed twin sisters in their home in Moscow, followed hunters in the Ulan-Bator mountains and hurried pedestrians in a bustling Bejing. All in all Jacob indulged in a photographic journey, which common thread was the rails of the Transsiberian. This trip was also a spiritual journey, an emotional investigation. Each picture echoes the artist’s fears, feelings and desires.  By going beyond the boundaries of geographical and linguistic borders, he tries to get in touch with the essence of human’s emotions. “For me, what we say with words is far less powerfull than what we can express with our eyes and body. The image comes with no words and so should the encounter“.

About Danish MAGNUM photographer Jacob Aue SOBOL (b. 1976)

Photo books by Jacob Aue SOBOL