Undisclosed: Images of the Contemporary Circus Artist
This book is the result of my work with 47 circus artists throughout Europe and North America from 2006 to 2010. The black and white images of the performers, all naked, working on their skills in empty training spaces, are accompanied by an essay by photography writer and gallerist Laura Noble and a foreword by acclaimed circus creator Daniele Finzi Pasca.
Undisclosed was published in 2011 in a limited edition of 1000 copies. Read my artist statement about the project.
Preview video
A page by page preview video of the book up to page 54 (out of 140).
What others have said
"The project shows enormous complexity by combining strength of precision with occasional light touches of deep humanity. There's meticulous geometry in Nilsson's photographs, complementing the emotional movement of the individuals. The result is a stunning series exploring the physical boundaries and beauty of the human body, printed with excellent quality on a fine paper."
"I find that Nilsson’s photographs of his subjects are an exotic blend of beauty, strength, grace and sensuality. [...] I perceived this book to be a very elegant object."
"The type of study contained in this book has been done before with dancers, acrobats, and even naked rugby players, but the images here are raw and intimate, rather than polished and staged. It seems as if the acrobats aren't performing for the camera or for an audience at all... they would be doing this even if we were not watching. That, to me, is where art begins."
Book details
Text in English and French
29 x 25 cm / 11.5 x 9.75 in. hardcover
140 pages, 92 black and white photographs
Printed in The Netherlands in duotone offset
Published by Canalside Books, ISBN: 978-09568872-0-7