Portuguese photographer Nuno Serrão is inviting viewers to drift away from the fast-paced, technology-driven world through his contemplative photographic series "Icebergs." The tranquil imagery explores themes of solitude and inner journeys, offering a stark contrast to our connected yet frenetic modern lives. The series will tour across Italy, France, and Greece throughout the autumn, bringing Serrão's introspective vision to European audiences.
The inspiration behind "Icebergs" stems from the metaphor of breaking away from a glacier and drifting alone into the deep blue ocean. Serrão explains that his work began as "a dialogue within, an attempt to understand myself." He soon realized he wasn't alone in these feelings, discovering that others shared similar experiences of not fitting societal norms. "Our behavior towards life, and how others see us, was a reflection of a choice we made early on when we didn't fit the norm," the artist reflects.
The photographic series captures portraits of people Serrão has encountered, each serving as metaphorical icebergs. His subjects span various ages, ethnicities, and genders, with some appearing melancholy or lonely while others project confidence and strength. The photographer suggests that viewers' interpretations of these portraits might reflect their own inner journeys. "To break away from the glacier. To drift into the open sea, trading comfort and convention for the chance to find answers we can't find in others. Even if that means spending a lifetime staring into the deep blue," Serrão elaborates.
The artist positions his work as a response to contemporary life's overwhelming pace. "We live in the age of multi-tabs, binge-watching, and immediatism," he observes. "We have instant coffee, expressways and speedy boarding. All of these are just one long distraction to avoid the questions that can arise from the discomfort of boredom. A fast life is a numb life, and with all this speed, we no longer have the time to understand what we are slowly losing along the way."
The "Icebergs" series has garnered significant attention from festivals and galleries across southern Europe. The tour begins on August 28 with a group exhibition at the Ragusa Foto Festival in Sicily. Following this, Serrão will present a solo show at Grenze in Verona starting September 19. The Verona exhibition, curated by Simone Azzoni, will feature the photographs mounted on plexiglass sheets, allowing them to float in the gallery space to enhance the concept of icebergs being adrift, lonely, fragile, and lost in time.
Concurrent exhibitions will extend the series' reach further across Europe. From September 25, "Icebergs" will be featured at La Petite Photo Gallery in Toulouse for another solo show. Simultaneously, starting September 27, selected works from the collection will appear in a collective exhibition at Photometria in Ioannina, Greece. This multi-venue approach allows diverse audiences to experience Serrão's contemplative vision.
Serrão, who splits his time between Madeira and Lisbon, maintains a dual professional life as both a marketing agency owner and self-taught artist. Beyond photography, he works with video and writing to explore what he describes as "the emergent side effects of thinking." His artistic practice deliberately contrasts with his day job's commercial pace, using analog medium format cameras that naturally slow down the creative process in alignment with the series' contemplative spirit.
The "Icebergs" project remains ongoing, with Serrão uncertain about when it will conclude. Upon completion, he plans to publish the photography collection as a book. He dedicates the series to his grandfather Alberto, whom he calls "the original iceberg." Drawing inspiration from Leonard Cohen's famous lyric, Serrão concludes: "As Leonard Cohen said, the cracks are where the light comes in, but it also works the other way round. I see the light breaching out."
