Easter Exhibition 2025

Easter weekend means art in Österlen. Traditionally, local artists open their studios and show their works. Nowadays, ÖSKG’s (Östra Skånes Konstnärsgrupp) “art tour”, the 57th in the series, has expanded so that many artists from near and far show their works in their own or rented premises. Many take the opportunity to exhibit, even though they are not members of ÖSKG.

LB Galleri was part of a group that rented a furnished stable in Yngsjökärr at Yngsjövägen 1216, 13 km south of Åhus along road 118. There we exhibited photographs from Österlen made as Giclée prints or Fine Art Prints. It has been many years since we participated in a physical exhibition, so it was very exciting.

The exhibitions have been noted in the local magazines “Kristianstads Journalen” and in “Vi Syns i Åhus”.

It was four intense days. Both physically and mentally exhausting to be actively present during a 5-hour session, but at the same time fantastic fun. The group’s exhibitions of five completely different artists had many visitors and quite a few works were sold.

Many visitors were very engaged and willing to ask questions. One question in particular that surprised us a lot was that several claimed that our photographs are not photographs but paintings. They firmly claimed that our photographs were paintings and they were not convinced by our arguments…

What is the reason for this? Has today’s image consumption changed the view of what a “photograph” is? Today’s media and digital technologies mean that we are constantly surrounded by photographs and that we always have a camera available in our mobile phones. A camera that gives each of us the opportunity to take technically very good pictures in all situations; even under difficult lighting conditions. Almost all pictures are viewed on screens, which probably affects the perception of what a “photograph” should look like.

A counter-question that we wish we had asked in retrospect is whether it is an advantage or a disadvantage that our photographs look like “paintings”.

Another visitor could not accept that a photographic image is “art”. An artist creates a painting, while a photograph is just “snapped”… One can sense the old perception that a photograph is only an objective recording of the world around us. One then forgets that the photographic process; the old analogue as well as the digital, is based on several steps where light rays are converted into an image that the viewer can see. Each step in this process can be influenced and used by the photographer to convey his perception and what the photographer saw in the subject.

The ease with which today’s mobile phone cameras can get good pictures probably reinforces the perception that it is just a matter of “snapping”, but then all interpretation of the light is left to the technology in the mobile phone.

Several photographers are exhibiting their works during the Easter art tour. The photographers’ lists of qualifications are impressive and include many recognized art institutions. The self-proclaimed title “art photographer” appears.

So, photography is certainly art!