Naturally
I have been working on Naturally over the last three years, going on adventures into the wilderness and collaborating with male dancers and acrobats to create spontaneous performances documented with the camera. In scenes ranging from mysterious to emotive, the landscape and body is transformed by my addition of red, black and white color pigments.
The book featuring work produced in places ranging from the Swiss alps to volanic beaches of the Canary Island is available to buy in my shop.
Learn more about the book below, check out a portfolio from the project or read my original artist statement for more background about how and why I made these images.
Book preview
A page by page video preview of the book.
What others have said
"Nilsson's work is not new to me — his earlier self-published book, Undisclosed, was an exceptional production. I had doubts as to whether this project would be as successful, but in fact it may be even better. The book is beautifully produced, and Nilsson has added several elements that allow you to see the artist's hand in the presentation. More importantly, though, the work is a real step up from the documentary style of the earlier project. I was surprised and impressed with the complexity of these new images."
"Nilsson has created a breathtaking series featuring nude dancers alone in sweeping, natural landscapes. Twirling, pirouetting and balancing atop fallen trees and mountain peeks, the performers stand out in the stark contrasts of man and Mother Nature. Nilsson’s subjects appear to be levitating in some images, striking unbelievably contorted poses in others, all while drenched in powdered colors of red and white. The resulting images seem to capture an alien world, filled with figures and landscapes not of this earth."
About the book
Naturally was published by me and Galerie Wilms in a print run of 500 copies. It is my second book after Undisclosed. It's available in my shop.
Book details:
- Landscape format 30 x 26 cm (12 x 10 in.)
- 110 pages, 57 full colour photographs, 7 line drawings
- Exposed spine, thread sewn, soft cover with hardback, blind deboss on cover
- Printed in Germany on uncoated paper with UV inks
I'm really interested in the idea of the artist's book, where the book itself is the expression of the artistic idea, and not only a container to beautifully present your work. For that reason I designed and closely supervised all aspects of the production of Naturally.
The design of the book is inextricably linked to my underlying ideas for the project, expressing a personal theme around the tension between order and chaos. Elements of the book, such as the thread and paper stock texture is used to express those ideas. In addition, two hand-torn pages serve as important milestones in the sequence while also making every single copy of Naturally unique.
Special editions
28 x 21 cm (11 x 8 in.) limited edition print included with special edition (shown with optional frame)
In addition to the standard edition, three special editions of Naturally including a print were offered to pre-order subscribers (a few remaining copies available - see below). Each of the special editions, named Rock, Sand and Stone, are limited to 25 copies only.
Special edition features:
- Signed and numbered by me.
- 28 x 21 cm (11 x 8 in.) C-type original print. This is a limited edition only available with the special edition.
- Cloth covered with hardcover front and back with tip-on image, cloth color and cover image varies with edition (Rock - dark grey, Sand - brown, Stone - light grey).
- Swiss binding with exposed spine.
- Presented in a black slipcase with blind deboss title.
