The Shadow and the Self

Gabriel Isak, a young photographer from Sweden, started his photographic journey when his father gave him a compact camera. Ever since, he used this machine to document life around him, often with himself as the subject.

His series The shadow and the self is inspired by a quote from Carl Jung: “To confront a person with his shadow is to show him his own light. Once one has experienced a few times what it is like to stand judgingly between the opposites, one begins to understand what is meant by the self. Anyone who perceives his shadow and his light simultaneously sees himself from two sides and thus gets in the middle.”
His objective is to bring his experiences to life, in a way that’s relatable to other. He uses his own creativity an combines it with digital techniques. The icy color scheme with grey, black, cool blue and brown underscores his work’s dark mood.