This exhibition is included in a paid General Admission ticket, except on Free First Thursdays. On the first Thursday of every month, General Admission is free and tickets to Sort Sol may be purchased for $5 at the door.
Sort Sol features recent work by Danish photographer Søren Solkær (b. 1969). Solkær established his career in the early aughts with penetrating portraits of legendary performers Björk, Metallica, Paul McCartney, the White Stripes, Amy Winehouse, and many others. The subjects of the photographer’s present work are music makers of another sort.
Solkaer's Sort Sol is a photographic series that studies the murmurations of starlings. The Danish term "sort sol” refers to these murmurations, the forms of which temporarily obscure the sun. A “murmuration” is the form made by a flock in flight. The word derives from “murmur,” or the soft sound of the starlings’ flight calls and fluttering wings as they move together midair. Starling murmurations take myriad forms—from abstract to representational, and Solkær has captured this phenomenon across Europe since 2017. Occurring before dusk in the spring and fall months, the mysterious act may function as an open call to join the evening roost and provide protection against predators. While Solkær’s Sort Sol series celebrates this curious occurrence of shape-shifting starlings, it also pays homage to landscapes as subject matter in European paintings and Japanese woodblock prints. Featuring over 50 photographs and video art, Søren Solkær: Sort Sol is the first exhibition of this series in a US museum.
About the Artist:
Søren Solkær is a Danish photographer, born in 1969. He has been working with a global profile since 1996.
Søren is best known for his distinctive portraits of musicians. He is most recognized as the man responsible for various iconic images of Björk, The White Stripes, Paul McCartney, David Lynch, Amy Winehouse, Pharrell Williams, Adele, and Patti Smith.
Søren's photography is characterized by finding a tension point between intimacy and edginess. His portraits are often regarded as cinematic in tone with a distinctive color palette. The inspirations for his style as a photographer range from filmmakers David Lynch and Wong Kar-Wai to the works of photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia and painter Caspar David Friedrich.
Søren's works have been exhibited in New York, Copenhagen, Sydney, Melbourne, London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Vancouver, Milan, Munich, Prague and Kyoto. His work is featured as part of the permanent collection in The Royal Danish Library and The National Portrait Collection in Frederiksborg Castle, Denmark.
This exhibition is curated by Leslie Anne Anderson, Chief Curator for the National Nordic Museum. Exhibition-related programs will examine Søren Solkær: Sort Sol through artistic and scientific lenses.
Images courtesy of the artist: Søren Solkær. Black Sun #50, Glastonbury, England. Søren Solkær. Black Sun #128, Houtwiel, Friesland, the Netherlands. Søren Solkær. Starling Feather #24. #24.Søren Solkær. Black Sun #149, Rome, Italy.
