Misha de Ridder (Alkmaar, 1971) has mades photographs and films in the extraordinary light of the subarctic Norwegian north, getting close to the earth's very heart. At this latitude, only sparse vegetation grows on the dark, craggy mountains. A sojourn in this landscape transforms the earth into a tactile planet: palpable, tangible. De Ridder investigates the expressive qualities of this polar landscape and light, but his work also addresses climatic and ecological extremes. The rugged landscape, the cold and the darkness - or conversely, the lack thereof - leave you dependent on your own resources. De Ridder confronts us with the fragility of human existence in relation to nature.

Short-lived mass media sensations and the economic crisis shrink to insignificance when compared to the forces of nature. In northern Scandinavia the nomadic Sami people have an animistic view of the world: all places and things in nature possess a soul. To show their respect, they move through the wilderness in silence. Nature is our master and death our inescapable ending; recognising this existential vulnerability is a key to better understanding the meaning of our existence.