“Useful pictures don’t start from ideas. They start from seeing.” Robert Adams. Orri Jónsson discovered an abandoned farmhouse while vacationing in northern Iceland, sparking his interest in photography. Initially using a 35 mm film, he was captivated by the results but felt limited, prompting him to revisit the subject with a large-format analogue camera. Over twelve years, he photographed the decaying interiors of deserted houses across Iceland, culminating in a collection of images from 1999 to 2010. These painterly photographs, characterized by their composition and absence of people, convey the personal histories of former inhabitants. The work resonates with an eerie silence and profound sense of loss, particularly evident in the remnants left behind—old buttons, newspapers, and a hot water bottle—each a testament to lives once lived. Born in Reykjavík in 1970, Orri earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1996. His photography has appeared in various magazines and has been exhibited at notable institutions, including the Museum Folkwang in Essen and the Reykjavík Museum of Photography. In addition to photography, Orri is a talented musician and producer, known for his albums with the duo Slowblow, and he co-wrote, directed, and edited the film Grandma Lo-Fi: The Basement Tapes of Sigríður Níelsdóttir in 2011.
