Lars Tunbjörk’s Winter (Swedish: Vinter), created between 2004 and 2007, is a deeply personal and culturally specific exploration of the Scandinavian winter. As an established Swedish photographer known for his vibrant use of color and flash photography, Tunbjörk shifted towards a more melancholic tone in Winter, influenced by his personal experiences with seasonal depression. The project captures the psychological weight of the long, dark winters in Sweden, portraying a stark contrast to the traditional, romanticized depictions of winter as a time of warmth and festivity. Through a series of photographs taken across Sweden, Tunbjörk documents the isolating, sometimes absurd, and frequently bleak realities of life in the coldest months of the year.
Set against the backdrop of a society often marked by stoicism and social withdrawal during winter, the project presents an unfiltered look at the emotional and physical landscapes of the season. The images reveal deserted urban spaces, artificial lighting casting eerie glows over snow-covered streets, and individuals captured in moments of solitude or social encounters tinged with exhaustion. Scenes of dimly lit interiors, abandoned vehicles trapped in slush, and the muted expressions of people navigating the season communicate a sense of alienation and stagnation.
Tunbjörk’s use of direct flash heightens the sense of detachment and amplifies the artificiality of winter lighting, emphasizing the contrast between the natural elements and human-made environments. The sequencing of images alternates between vibrant colors and monochromatic snowy compositions, enhancing the project’s somber tone through contrast and rhythm. The overall project’s tone can be seen as a transformation in Tunbjörk’s photographic philosophy from satirical critiques of consumerist culture to a more contemplative focus on atmosphere and emotion.
Published by Steidl in 2007, Winter debuted in museum form at Moderna Museet (Stockholm, 2007) and has since circulated widely—appearing in later museum and festival presentations in Europe, the United States, and Japan, and recurring as a core chapter in posthumous retrospectives of Tunbjörk’s work.