Norwegian-born, LA-based photographer Torbjørn Rødland twists the commonplace into the uncanny in his first solo show in New York at Algus Greenspon Gallery. Babies in cages, mysterious naked biker chicks and people being tied up with sausages are just a few of the images that Rødland creates by blending traditional photography with humor, eroticism and the surreal. “You can wait around your whole life for something interesting to happen in front of you. I believe in forcing a more active approach,” he says.
Many of the photographs in this show appear in Rødland’s most recent book “Vanilla Partner,” which was released to great critical acclaim last year by MACK. While Rødland’s work uses many of the ideas now widely implemented in contemporary photography—such as double exposures, staged photographs and commercial style images—the content of his images is consistently unique and unpredictable. It is precisely this ability to transform the expected into unforeseeable that makes Rødland’s images exceptional. Says the artist, “One way a photograph can be successful is if it’s a surprising but precise take on something that you suspect could become your reality.”
Torbjørn Rødland’s solo show at NYC’s Algus Greenspon Gallery is currently on view and runs through 19 October 2013.
Images courtesy of Algus Greenspon Gallery