Elina Brotherus

jury statement

★
Finland /// Finnland
★

Before her first visit to Corsica, Finnish artist Elina Brotherus read W.G. Sebald’s posthumous fragmentary texts about the island, and the author subsequently became her travel guide. She visited the places he wrote about: the forest of Aitone, the Bavella massif, a hotel on the red cliffs above Piana, and the village’s cemetery.

The resulting series of photographs is not only a tribute to the author and to the island’s beauty, but also to the artist’s deceased mother. This book presents that series as a small photographic work that outgrows its form.

Black coloured edges point to the melancholic and sad subplot of the framing. The artistic journey from self-portrait to cemetery flowers is an accomplished whole that manages to convey emotion via simple means while giving the work space and rhythm.

This is a high-quality book that has been skilfully put together and finished with great professionalism. The black binding thread and large bold text provide an elegant echo of the white cloth covers and black edges. The restrained exterior has an almost meditative effect, calming the reader and preparing them for the power of the images within.