Impressionist views featuring a unique fusion of technique and artistic vision
Loulé’s In the Pink gallery was the venue chosen for the Portuguese debut of an exhibition by Danish photographer Jacob Gils, whose captivating impressionist work features a unique fusion of technique and artistic vision.
Jacob Gills © Duarte Drago
Unveiled on October 18, Vistas (Views, in English) presents a collection of photographs captured mainly in Portugal as part of his Movement collection, which highlights his multiple exposure technique for which he is known internationally and which he uses to imbue his work with action and fluidity, creating a visual experience that challenges the conventional definition of photography.
Rather than focusing on sharp, static images, Jacob Gils explores the idea of movement by superimposing several photos taken whilst moving.
Lisbon #2 40 x40
“You could say I paint with my camera. What I want to showcase is a feeling and a state of mind and not so much the object itself. I try to express the whole atmosphere in the image. My mum is a painter, and she thinks I make paintings. I like that way of looking at my work,” says the artist.
Gils’ technique also involves breaking with the common practice of multiple exposure photography, usually captured with cameras mounted on tripods. The photographer finds this sharpness to be too controlled, so he prefers to challenge precision by shooting in movement, exploring different angles and creating images that evoke a pictorial quality, producing texture, intensity and depth. At the exhibition in Loulé, this technique brings to life various scenes in Portugal, from a nostalgic Lisbon and its architectural details to the natural beauty of the Algarve, in a collection that took several years to compile.
Copenhagen #26 30 x 20
One of the featured works is Palma #5, captured in Palma de Mallorca, the only photo in the exhibition that was not shot in Portugal. This image from 2022 earned him the ZⓈONAMACO Erarta Foundation Prize 2024 in Mexico, along with $100,000 (around €95,000).
The fierce competition included 220 works from various international galleries, including paintings and sculptures. It was also the biggest prize ever awarded at an art fair, with the final decision resting in the audience’s hands, something Gils considers to be one of the highlights of his career. The Danish photographer has also won the Prix de la Photographie Paris twice, adding to a list of awards that highlight the innovative technique he has developed over the course of his three-decade career.
Lisbon #10 20 x 60
Jacob Gills was eight years old when he picked up his first camera and, in 1989, he graduated from the Copenhagen School of Photography, spending the next several years developing and perfecting his impressionist technique.
“I wanted to create my own filter. I started with trees and then went to London to test it out with a telephone box. I realised that I could really create something impactful. At the time, I didn’t know if I was going to succeed, but I knew that I at least liked the result, and that was my goal. Today, I realise that you can notice details in my photographs that you wouldn’t catch at first glance. That’s what I’m aiming for, a more impressionist expression rather than something so clear and sharp,” says the photographer who has a busy schedule for the coming months, with exhibitions in Miami, Hong Kong, Basel, London, Zurich and Copenhagen (where he lives), as well as Palma de Mallorca.
Gils has also worked in fashion photography for several years and recently explored human movement in Mexico, using his technique to photograph 60 dancers in an urban environment, adding a new dimension to his portfolio, which also includes the Limiter Lock collection of portraits on Polaroid film.
Lisbon #25 30 x 20
Today, he focuses on photographing what he likes to see and “anything that speaks [to him]”, be it buildings, trams, cars and, especially, trees, evidenced in the work he did in Japan over three weeks with the cherry blossom trees.
Internationally recognised, the photographer declares that he “definitely” does not plan on retiring and that he feels “privileged” to be able to work doing what he loves.
“I love talking to collectors who buy my pieces and knowing where they are going to put them. And they are all over the world so it’s very interesting to see my photos in a prominent place, whether in a house in Norway or China. I feel very honoured,” he says.
Jacob Gills Exhibition, In The Pink, Loulé © Duarte Drago
The Vistas exhibition can be viewed at In The Pink gallery until mid-January, between 10am and 6pm from Tuesday to Friday, and between 10am and 2pm on Saturdays, and also features work by other photographers such as Albert Watson, Christian Chaize, Nuno Cera, João Mariano, Vasco Célio and the debut of Teresa Freitas.
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