The Wonderful World of the 24-Hour Convenience Store

It’s hard to see the forest for the trees. That was the experience at Galleri Stalke, which is currently showcasing photographs by the Icelandic landscape and documentary photographer Guðmundur Ingólfsson. Even though Ingólfsson isn’t widely known among Danish photographers like Per Bak Jensen or Mads Gamdrup, I would venture to guess that his photographs are just as original and thought-provoking.

Ingólfsson traveled 10-12 years ago to explore the wonders of the 24-hour convenience store. Here, he photographed Reykjavik’s many kiosks, which at that time had mostly been converted into video stores. The color photographs serve as a cultural history, highlighting the many brightly colored advertisements for Royal Crown Cola or Heitar Pylsur (hot dogs). Entirely captivating, they bathe these quirky and chaotic little kiosks in golden light, offering an almost surrealistic experience.

The kiosk series is a true testament to well-executed photographic art, where mundane settings never fail to engage the camera.

But when Ingólfsson moves into traditional black-and-white landscape photography, it becomes less interesting. The grayscale tones fade into each other, and one misses the wonder and depth of his kiosk series. These landscapes seem almost routine, as if they’ve been photographed far too many times.

Guðmundur Ingólfsson. Stalke Galleri, Vesterbrogade 14 A, Copenhagen V.
Open until December 20.

Stalke is also showing works by Niels Erik Gjerdevik, Jes Brinch, and others.