Arctic Summer
1999 - Ongoing
Jonas Paurell's passion for Arctic landscapes was ignited in 1999 when, at the age of 19, he ventured north of the Arctic Circle to explore the Scandes mountain range for the first time. Until that moment, he had not realized the profound impact that simply being in a landscape could have—not just on his state of mind, but on the course of his life. That first journey became the beginning of many explorations into the northernmost parts of the world.
He recalls with vivid clarity a moment that altered his life: seated on a boulder in Láddjuvággi, a valley at the foot of Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise. Jonas was entranced by the surrounding wilderness, experiencing a tranquillity, unlike anything he had known before. After spending what felt like hours on that boulder, he took out his notebook and wrote down a reflection that remains relevant to him over two decades later. One particular passage stands out:
“I feel a presence in these landscapes—with mountain rock of the deepest black, valley moss and shrub of the lushest green, streams of crystal-clear water, and the most ethereal light from the sky. I don’t believe in any god, but I believe in the divinity of these landscapes.”
Since that life-changing moment, Jonas has returned to the Arctic year after year, travelling to the Arctic Ocean, Sweden, Norway, Svalbard and Greenland, continually expanding his knowledge and photography of the ever-changing Arctic landscapes.
Arctic Summer is a collection of photographs from Paurell’s summer expeditions to these regions. Set in the Arctic regions are endless lands of lichens, mosses, dwarf willows, grass and the occasional windblown birches. To Jonas, these landscapes seem taken straight from a wild fantasy. These landscapes are vast and almost intimidating. Travelling on foot through these landscapes, Jonas often feels how short and fragile life is. Through his many and varied experiences, one truth remains constant: the Arctic provides some of the most captivating landscapes Paurell has ever witnessed. This collection is a celebration of those majestic scenes
