Martin Bogren

Swedish photographer

Martin Bogren (born 1967) is a Swedish documentary photographer, living in Malmö.[1][2] He has made "understated books full of quietly observed moments shot in grainy black and white."[3]

Bogren has had solo exhibitions of Lowlands[4] and Italia[5] at Fotografiska in Stockholm, Sweden, and of Ocean at Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon.[6] Lowlands has also been shown in group exhibitions at Moderna Museet Malmö[7] and Moderna Museet, Stockholm.[8] His work is held in the collections of Fotografiska[9] and of Portland Art Museum.[10]

## Life and work

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Bogren grew up in Skurup, Skåne County (also known as Scania County), Sweden.[11][4]

In the early 1990s he photographed bands and artists.[1] He toured for several years with the Swedish pop group the Cardigans, making a "diaristic book", The Cardigans: Been it (1997).[1][12] He has since established his signature style,[12] making—in the words of Sean O'Hagan in The Guardian—"understated books full of quietly observed moments shot in grainy black and white."[3] In Ocean (2008) "his subjects were a group of men from Rajasthan, who had travelled the 1,000-odd miles from their inland home by minibus to bathe in the sea for the first time."[12] For Lowlands (2011), Bogren revisited his childhood home of Skurup over 4 years, "to portray the inhabitants, environments and atmosphere of the village",[11] "a rural Swedish idyll peopled with strange and beautiful characters."[12] For Tractor Boys (2013) "he immersed himself in the enclosed world of a group of adolescent boys from rural Sweden who customise and race old cars for fun."[3] Italia (2016), made in Naples, Palermo, Bologna and Turin, is "Bogren's take on street photography".[3] August Song (2020) was made during summers between 2013 and 2018, at music venues hidden in woods on the outskirts of villages in rural parts of Sweden.[13] Passenger (2021) was made over several stays in Calcutta, India and for the first time mixes colour photographs with his usual black and white.[14]

As of 2021[update] Bogren lives in Malmö, Sweden.[1]

## Publications

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### Books of work by Bogren

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* The Cardigans: Been it. Tiden, 1997. ISBN 978-9188876539. Photographs by Bogren, text by Martin Theander [sv] and Kristoffer Triumf [sv].[12][15]
* Ocean. Finn Larsen, 2008. ISBN 978-9197696685.[12]
* Lowlands. Max Strom, 2011. ISBN 978-9171262301.[12]
* Tractor Boys. Stockport: Dewi Lewis, 2013. ISBN 978-1-907893-35-3. With an essay by Christian Caujolle.[n 1][15]
* Italia. Max Ström, 2016. ISBN 978-9171263865. Includes a short prose pamphlet by Bogren.[3]
* August Song. Bentivoglio, Italy: L'Artiere, 2020. ISBN 978-88-87569-85-8. Edition of 1000 copies.[16]
* Passenger. Lamaindonne, 2021. ISBN 978-2-9560488-8-6.
* A Summer of a Thousand Years. L'axolotl, 2024. ISBN 978-2-9588393-1-4.

### Artist books by Bogren

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* Notes. Stockholm: Stockholms Fotoantikvariat, 2008. ISBN 978-91-975038-1-5.
* Embraces. Self-published, 2014. Edition of 150 copies.
* Hollow. Self-published, 2018. Edition of 15 copies.

## Exhibitions

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### Solo exhibitions

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* Ocean, Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 2009[6]
* Martin Bogren: Lowlands, Fotografiska, Stockholm, Sweden, 2011[4]
* Martin Bogren: Italia, Fotografiska, Stockholm, Sweden, 2016/17[5]

### Group exhibitions

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* A Way of Life: Swedish Photography from Christer Strömholm until Today, Moderna Museet Malmö, Malmö, Sweden, 2014;[7] Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden, 2014/15.[8] With work by Christer Strömholm, Bogren, Anna Clarén, JH Engström, Kenneth Gustavsson, Gerry Johansson, Tuija Lindström, Anders Petersen, Inta Ruka, Gunnar Smoliansky, Lars Tunbjörk, and others.

## Collections

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Bogren's work is held in the following collections:

* Fotografiska, Stockholm, Sweden[9]
* Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon[10]

## Notes

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1. ^ Caujolle's essay is available here at the 1000 Words website

## References

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1. ^ a b c d "Wave power: oceans from the shoreline – in pictures". The Guardian. 20 July 2021. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
2. ^ Dickerman, Kenneth (15 May 2020). "Perspective: 'Live before everything is consumed': The sensual, poetic work of photographer Martin Bogren". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
3. ^ a b c d e O'Hagan, Sean (8 January 2017). "Italia by Martin Bogren review – an interrogation of street photography". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
4. ^ a b c "Martin Bogren: Lowlands". Fotografiska. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
5. ^ a b "Martin Bogren: Italia". Fotografiska. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
6. ^ a b "Martin Bogren". Blue Sky Gallery. 6 August 2009. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
7. ^ a b "Aesthetica Magazine - Christer Strömholm: A Way of Life, Moderna Museet Malmö". Aesthetica. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
8. ^ a b "A Way of Life". Moderna Museet i Stockholm. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
9. ^ a b "Martin Bogren". Fotografiska. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
10. ^ a b "Blue Sky". Portland Art Museum. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
11. ^ a b "Featured photographers". Moderna Museet i Malmö. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
12. ^ a b c d e f g O'Hagan, Sean (7 July 2013). "Tractor Boys by Martin Bogren – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
13. ^ "Martin Bogren, August Song, L'artière, 2019". Le Plac'Art Photo. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
14. ^ "Éditions lamaindonne : Martin Bogren : Passenger". The Eye of Photography Magazine. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
15. ^ a b "Photography book review: Tractor Boys, By Martin Bogren and Christian". The Independent. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
16. ^ "August Song". L'Artiere. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 2021-08-09.

## External links

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* Official website
* Bogren's profile at Agence Vu