白骨之路——Jacob Aue Sobol新作將在倫敦展出

「白骨之路（Road of Bones）」系列是這位馬格南攝影師此前從未展出過的作品，描繪了臭名昭著的科雷馬公路上令人震撼的景色。徠卡相機今年已是第二次作為倫敦攝影展的官方合作夥伴，87個國際頂尖畫廊將參與今年的展覽。以成功舉辦前兩屆為基礎，2017年倫敦攝影展將向越來越多的國際觀眾展示當代及歷史攝影作品，這些觀眾都是攝影藏家及愛好者，為攝影藝術的悠久歷史及未來前景所吸引。

在第三屆倫敦攝影展中（2017年5月18-21日），徠卡相機將展出Jacob Aue Sobol的作品：「白骨之路」，來自丹麥的馬格南攝影師的最新作品。展示了之前從未展出過的攝影作品，包括在莫斯科荒涼地區Yakutia拍攝的令人震撼的圖像。

所有的影像作品均由Jacob Aue Sobol用徠卡M相機以黑白照片的形式拍攝。這些照片具備極高的辨識度，要歸功於Sobol個人的攝影風格和他獨特的視覺語言。此外，這次展出的照片都具有強烈的、高對比度的特點，並在濃烈的黑色中得到體現。

這些作品描繪了因其黑暗陰森的過去而臭名昭著的「科雷馬公路」，在這裡許多古拉格集中營的囚犯在前蘇聯鎮壓時期死去，幾千名受難者的頭骨至今仍然埋藏在公路下。Sobol真實地記錄了那裡陰冷灰暗的景象和人們，他們訴說著一個群體的故事，這個群體活在赤裸的反抗中，活在世界上最寒冷最艱苦的地區中。確實，這些照片是在難以想像的艱苦環境下拍攝的，當時的溫度達到零下60攝氏度。

Jacob Aue Sobol對此次拍攝項目做了更多的說明: 「2016年4月，我開始了一段新的旅程，並關注被孤立的西伯利亞社會群體中的居民，這個群體誕生於俄羅斯歷史中的一段黑暗時期。從1932年至1953年，幾百萬受害者被發配至西伯利亞的勞改營，古拉格集中營最大的行動就是建成了2031千米的「科雷馬公路」。這些囚犯工作直至死亡的那一天，這條公路連接馬加丹州和山脈內部，開拓了金礦的範圍。囚犯的屍體常常被埋在地基里以便與永久凍土隔離，這條路也因而有了這個臭名昭著的綽號。當你在這條公路上開車行駛時，在令人驚喜的美麗風景中，你也能痛苦地意識到路面下的白骨。「

在這次新展覽中，Sobol描繪了與廢棄村鎮相連的骯髒公路。「每座市鎮或村莊都曾是戰俘集中營犯人的家，因此那裡的黑暗氣氛是無法逃避的。沒有了金礦和古拉格集中營中的奴役，如今的這片地區，包含了遠離世俗的廣闊自然區域、當地的居民及野生動物。俄羅斯遠東地區是最不適宜人類居住的環境之一。」

徠卡畫廊全球藝術總監及首席代表Karin Rehn-Kaufmann說道：「我們很榮幸能與Jacob Aue Sobol合作，並有機會在今年的倫敦攝影展中首次展出其作品「白骨之路」。他作品中的真實性與情感反映了拍攝對象的靈魂，給觀眾留下深刻的印象。徠卡代表了獨特的、把握事物本質的攝影，而這部作品正是一個完美的例子，它細緻地展現了這個被人遺忘之地的聳人過去，揭露了這裡如今嚴酷的困境，讓世界上更多人關注到這個現實。」

展覽將於倫敦薩默塞特宮海軍會議廳舉行。

For the second year running, Leica Camera will be the Official Partner of Photo London. Eighty-seven of the world s leading galleries will exhibit at the fair this year. Building on the success of the previous two editions, Photo London 2017 will showcase the best in contemporary and historic photography to a growing international audience of collectors and enthusiasts intrigued by the rich history of the medium and its future directions. At the third annual Photo London fair (18-21 May 2017), Leica Camera will exhibit Jacob Aue Sobol: 『Road of Bones』, a new body of work by the Danish Magnum Photographer. Featuring photography never previously exhibited, this debut collection incorporates poignant images captured in desolate locations, including Yakutia in Russia.

All images were shot in black and white by Jacob Aue Sobol with Leica M cameras, and are immediately recognisable thanks to Sobol』s individual shooting style and distinctive visual language. Furthermore, the photographs in this collection are distinguished by their powerful, high contrast qualities characterised with deep, rich blacks.

The work portrays the 『Kolyma Highway』, notorious for its dark and gruesome past where many Gulag prisoners fell during the period of Soviet repression, and where thousands of the victims』 skeletons still lie beneath the road. Sobol has faithfully documented the bleak landscape and its people, telling the story of a community seeming to exist in sheer defiance, in the coldest and harshest part of the inhabited world today. Indeed, the images were captured in inconceivably severe conditions, with temperatures as low as - 60° Celsius.

Jacob Aue Sobol explains more about the project: 「In April 2016, I began a new journey, focusing on the residents of isolated Siberian communities established in the midst of a dark period in Russian history. From 1932 to 1953, millions of victims were sent to forced labour camps in Siberia, and one of the largest Gulag operations was the construction of the 2031 km 『Kolyma Highway』. Built by prisoners who were literally worked to death, it connected Magadan with the mountainous interior, opening up the region to gold mining. Often, the prisoners』 corpses were buried in the foundations to protect it from the permafrost, giving the road its infamous nickname. When you drive down this highway, through the stunningly beautiful landscape, you are painfully aware of the bones beneath the surface.」

In this new exhibition, Sobol depicts the wretchedness of the route lined with abandoned villages. 「Every town or village was once home to a prison camp, and it is impossible to escape the dark atmosphere of the place. Without gold mining or slave labour from the Gulag, the region would, to this day, consist entirely of vast areas of undisturbed nature, the sole inhabitants being the indigenous people and the area』s wildlife. The Russian Far East is one of the most inhospitable environments known to man.」

Karin Rehn-Kaufmann, Art Director & Chief Representative Leica Galleries International, said, 「We are honoured to collaborate with Jacob Aue Sobol and to have the opportunity to exhibit 『Road of Bones』 for the first time at this year』s Photo London. The authenticity and emotion within his images truly reflect the soul of his subjects, imprinting the scenes deeply into the memory of the viewer. Leica is synonymous with exceptional photography that captures the absolute essence of the subject, and this body of work is a perfect example, carefully exposing the harrowing history of this virtually forgotten location. It also reveals the harsh reality of its current predicament, bringing it to the attention of the wider world.」

The exhibition will take place in the Navy Board Room at Somerset House.

Biography: Jacob Aue Sobol (featured photographer)

Jacob Aue Sobol was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1976. After studying at the European Film College, Jacob was admitted to Fatamorgana, the Danish School of Documentary and Art Photography in 1998. There he developed a unique, expressive style of black and white photography, which he has since refined and further developed. His work has been nominated for the Deutsche B?rse Photography Prize, and his series about life in Guatemala won the First Prize Award, Daily Life Stories, World Press Photo 2006. In 2008, Sobol was honoured with the Leica European Publishers Award for his book, I, Tokyo. He then went on to work in Bangkok and Copenhagen, and has exhibited his work all over the world.

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