How long have you been holding in that tight breath? London-based Swedish visual artist Alexander Ekholm has chosen the theme of Exhalation for their solo exhibition in Hackney Wick. It’s a fitting one, something we all do unconsciously to live in a body, Ekholm is interested in “intimacy, vulnerability, and fleeting emotional states”, with a specific focus on their adopted hometown of London as the place that they’ve experienced all three.
Ekholm has a keen eye for the intimate that goes beyond nudity, although there’s little in the way of clothing here. There’s the intimacy required in the trust between photographer and subject – Ekholm clearly knows how to foster that – but it can be lost in translation when the fully-clothed viewer arrives in front of the end result. Spring is only just arriving in London, and we’re very much in leather jacket season.
