"Set on the remote island of Grimsey, twenty-five miles north of mainland Iceland and bordering the Arctic Circle, this series focuses on the lives of a small, insular fishing community in one of the most unique locations on earth. Taken on multiple visits over the course of two years, these images capture the idiosyncrasies of life in a region with a remarkable blend of influences: an Icelandic-Island culture, fixated as much by the prevalence of maritime commerce as it is unbounded by its unique remoteness. Imitating a documentary style, my photographs are heavy with the emotional pull of real lives, yet they embody an especially uneasy sense of familiarity: a product of building upon established traditions in landscape and portrait photography, while also incorporating formal elements of abstract-modernism.
The landscapes and interiors in Grimsey are noticeably self-contained. Small artifacts of life are found everywhere in the series—seagulls, children’s toys, traps and fishing gear—each isolated within one of the island’s immense vistas: stark plaster walls, pastel curtains, grassy fields undulating into cliffs and sea, everywhere united by angular elements of perspective and color. Any individual element of life on Grimsey, perhaps familiar to the audience by itself, somehow resists assimilation in the larger unity of the images. The feeling of resistance found in the series is a testament to the authenticity of the island’s sub-culture, a sense that is completed by the portraits of the denizens themselves, who in their candid humility are, nevertheless, impenetrably distant and wonderfully remote." (publisher's note)
"Drive north from Reykjavik, past the peaks of black rock thrusting from the lowlands. A dense wind comes off the coast, laced with salt, flowing over narrow coves and up empty streets. Hot springs pepper the country's center, the sharp musk of sulfur floating from their pocked surfaces. Wedged between mountains are lush strips of field dotted with small villages—Reykholt, Laugarbakki, Varmahlíð—and goats and horses wander behind homes eating grass or just staring off into the distance. Then you hit the northern coast, farms and fisheries lining its shores, up and up until you can't drive anymore. As the Arctic Ocean meets the country's northern front, waterfalls of glacial runoff pour over cliffs, crashing into the rocks below.
Then, once you've gone as far north as you can go, look 25 miles to the north of that, and that's while you'll find Grímsey, an the size of Central Park where roughly 90 people live, a lush patch of green encased in cliffs. Last May, as I boarded a ferry to the island with my close friend and photographer Cole Barash and our mutual friend and cinematographer Brandon Kuzma, I could almost make out its southern tip in the distance, a sliver of green set against the dense blue strip of the horizon.
During our week on Grímsey, Cole documented all aspects of the culture. We would take late-night hikes to all corners of the island, to the western cliffs and the lighthouse, down to the harbor and into homes of residents. We went on boats and attended Bingo night and school graduation. We played soccer with the children. We looked at photo albums and mementos. Cole shot the entire project on medium-format and 35mm film. He is patient and detailed when he makes a photograph. His lips purse and his eyes narrow. He stands on the balls of his feet, moving his head back and forth like a boxer, looking for the best way in. He was drawn into the small details of the island—a mirror on a wall, the shower of a bathroom, a hula hoop left on the ground. Muted tones of landscapes juxtaposed flash-driven and vibrant interiors. White, gold and blue flood the images chosen for the book. A subtle but uneasy feeling threads itself throughout the end product—a snapshot of what it means to live on Grímsey. It's abstract and subtle." (Vice magazine, source: http://www.vice.com/read/beautiful-photographs-from-the-tiny-town-of-grimsey)
'Cole’s 3rd book, 'Grimséy', was subsequently recognized by TIME as one of the top photobooks of 2015." (C.B.) Selected for The Best Photobooks 2015 by Michell Molloy and by Miwa Susuda.
About the photographer ('1987):
Cole Barash (based in Brooklyn, N.Y.) began his journey when he left his New England home at sixteen to document snow and surf culture in California. Self-taught and dedicated, Cole soon made a name for himself as one of the industry’s leading photographers. With an organic approach to film photography and a clever eye for composition, his portraiture and still lifes became known for their candid and spontaneous sense of intimacy. Well acquainted with international subcultures, Cole seeks “subjects where the boundaries are more open, not as seasoned, not done before,” capturing “unpredictable outcomes in a predictable world.” In 2011, Cole relocated to Brooklyn, New York where he now resides permanently.
One of PDN’s top 30 upcoming photographers (2009), Cole’s work has been featured in group shows “Get Gone” (2008), “SILENCE” (2009), “Hot Bed” (2013), One Eyed Jacks Gallery (2014) and the Annenberg Space (2015), along with his first solo exhibition “Cold Emotions” (2009) at Montanero Gallery in New Port, RI. His photography has been featured in numerous publications including, Time Lightbox, Rolling Stone, ESPN Magazine, Relapse Mag, and No Thoughts, among many others. Cole’s first monograph book, Talk Story, and accompanying exhibition opened at Brooklyn’s Picture Farm Gallery in July of 2014 with a subsequent exhibition at Venice Arts Gallery in LA. His 2nd book release & exhibition, 'Six Girls Six Cities' (2015) also took place at Picture Farm." (text from CB's website)
Other books/Art Publications
'Get Gone' 53 color pages, incl. zines Vol. 1-5, Ltd. to 25 copies (2016)
'Kraag' 72 color pages, Deadbeat Club Press, Ltd. to 222 copies (2016)
'Grimsey' 57 color ills., The Silas Finch Foundation, Ltd. to 600 copies (2015)
'Six Girls Six Cities' b/w Laser print, A Love Token, Ltd. to 111 copies (2015)
'Tangible Grounds' 60 color pages, Self Published, Ltd. to 100 copies (2015)
'Masters of Discipline' b/w newsprint, Stay Steady Magazine (2015)
'The Dirty Dogs, vol. 1&2', Matt Georges / Self Publi., Ltd. to 500 cps (2014-15)
'Talk Story' 80 color pages, Design: Tucker Philips, Ltd. to 555 copies (2014)
The landscapes and interiors in Grimsey are noticeably self-contained. Small artifacts of life are found everywhere in the series—seagulls, children’s toys, traps and fishing gear—each isolated within one of the island’s immense vistas: stark plaster walls, pastel curtains, grassy fields undulating into cliffs and sea, everywhere united by angular elements of perspective and color. Any individual element of life on Grimsey, perhaps familiar to the audience by itself, somehow resists assimilation in the larger unity of the images. The feeling of resistance found in the series is a testament to the authenticity of the island’s sub-culture, a sense that is completed by the portraits of the denizens themselves, who in their candid humility are, nevertheless, impenetrably distant and wonderfully remote." (publisher's note)
"Drive north from Reykjavik, past the peaks of black rock thrusting from the lowlands. A dense wind comes off the coast, laced with salt, flowing over narrow coves and up empty streets. Hot springs pepper the country's center, the sharp musk of sulfur floating from their pocked surfaces. Wedged between mountains are lush strips of field dotted with small villages—Reykholt, Laugarbakki, Varmahlíð—and goats and horses wander behind homes eating grass or just staring off into the distance. Then you hit the northern coast, farms and fisheries lining its shores, up and up until you can't drive anymore. As the Arctic Ocean meets the country's northern front, waterfalls of glacial runoff pour over cliffs, crashing into the rocks below.
Then, once you've gone as far north as you can go, look 25 miles to the north of that, and that's while you'll find Grímsey, an the size of Central Park where roughly 90 people live, a lush patch of green encased in cliffs. Last May, as I boarded a ferry to the island with my close friend and photographer Cole Barash and our mutual friend and cinematographer Brandon Kuzma, I could almost make out its southern tip in the distance, a sliver of green set against the dense blue strip of the horizon.
During our week on Grímsey, Cole documented all aspects of the culture. We would take late-night hikes to all corners of the island, to the western cliffs and the lighthouse, down to the harbor and into homes of residents. We went on boats and attended Bingo night and school graduation. We played soccer with the children. We looked at photo albums and mementos. Cole shot the entire project on medium-format and 35mm film. He is patient and detailed when he makes a photograph. His lips purse and his eyes narrow. He stands on the balls of his feet, moving his head back and forth like a boxer, looking for the best way in. He was drawn into the small details of the island—a mirror on a wall, the shower of a bathroom, a hula hoop left on the ground. Muted tones of landscapes juxtaposed flash-driven and vibrant interiors. White, gold and blue flood the images chosen for the book. A subtle but uneasy feeling threads itself throughout the end product—a snapshot of what it means to live on Grímsey. It's abstract and subtle." (Vice magazine, source: http://www.vice.com/read/beautiful-photographs-from-the-tiny-town-of-grimsey)
'Cole’s 3rd book, 'Grimséy', was subsequently recognized by TIME as one of the top photobooks of 2015." (C.B.) Selected for The Best Photobooks 2015 by Michell Molloy and by Miwa Susuda.
About the photographer ('1987):
Cole Barash (based in Brooklyn, N.Y.) began his journey when he left his New England home at sixteen to document snow and surf culture in California. Self-taught and dedicated, Cole soon made a name for himself as one of the industry’s leading photographers. With an organic approach to film photography and a clever eye for composition, his portraiture and still lifes became known for their candid and spontaneous sense of intimacy. Well acquainted with international subcultures, Cole seeks “subjects where the boundaries are more open, not as seasoned, not done before,” capturing “unpredictable outcomes in a predictable world.” In 2011, Cole relocated to Brooklyn, New York where he now resides permanently.
One of PDN’s top 30 upcoming photographers (2009), Cole’s work has been featured in group shows “Get Gone” (2008), “SILENCE” (2009), “Hot Bed” (2013), One Eyed Jacks Gallery (2014) and the Annenberg Space (2015), along with his first solo exhibition “Cold Emotions” (2009) at Montanero Gallery in New Port, RI. His photography has been featured in numerous publications including, Time Lightbox, Rolling Stone, ESPN Magazine, Relapse Mag, and No Thoughts, among many others. Cole’s first monograph book, Talk Story, and accompanying exhibition opened at Brooklyn’s Picture Farm Gallery in July of 2014 with a subsequent exhibition at Venice Arts Gallery in LA. His 2nd book release & exhibition, 'Six Girls Six Cities' (2015) also took place at Picture Farm." (text from CB's website)
Other books/Art Publications
'Get Gone' 53 color pages, incl. zines Vol. 1-5, Ltd. to 25 copies (2016)
'Kraag' 72 color pages, Deadbeat Club Press, Ltd. to 222 copies (2016)
'Grimsey' 57 color ills., The Silas Finch Foundation, Ltd. to 600 copies (2015)
'Six Girls Six Cities' b/w Laser print, A Love Token, Ltd. to 111 copies (2015)
'Tangible Grounds' 60 color pages, Self Published, Ltd. to 100 copies (2015)
'Masters of Discipline' b/w newsprint, Stay Steady Magazine (2015)
'The Dirty Dogs, vol. 1&2', Matt Georges / Self Publi., Ltd. to 500 cps (2014-15)
'Talk Story' 80 color pages, Design: Tucker Philips, Ltd. to 555 copies (2014)
- Format
- HC with dust jacket, 25,5 x 29 cm., 80 pp.,, 57 color ills., text alnguage: English, Ltd. to 1,000 copies