Photobook Week Aarhus

When Abba was Ill, by Adil Hasan
Nazar Photography Monographs ()
Hardcover 
106 pages (with gatefolds)
English
1st Edition, 2014

When Abba was ill is a book of photographs by Adil Hasan that he shot over six months as he came to terms with his father’s cancer. His old Yashica and Canon film cameras served as distractions from the reality of the illness.

The book is designed with gatefolds, to allow for a complex narrative – one that deals with the photographer’s own emotions while revealing the progress of his father’s illness and subsequent passing away.

In the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting each of the books selected by our jury to be part of our global initiative to bring photobooks into bookstores like never before. Covering subjects such as anthropology, nature, business, and self-help, these titles reflect diverse perspectives, thoughtful craftsmanship, and compelling photographic storytelling.

Our goal is simple: to introduce these books into as many traditional bookstores as possible and, in doing so, broaden their audiences. Stay tuned as we explore them one by one—and if you’re a bookstore interested in taking part in this ongoing initiative, we’d love to hear from you!

Photo 1: .hanna
Photo 2 & 3:
Taken during Blik! 2025, at (16-18th October).

In the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting each of the books selected by our jury to be part of our global initiative to bring photobooks into bookstores like never before. Covering subjects such as anthropology, nature, business, and self-help, these titles reflect diverse perspectives, thoughtful craftsmanship, and compelling photographic storytelling.

Our goal is simple: to introduce these books into as many traditional bookstores as possible and, in doing so, broaden their audiences. Stay tuned as we explore them one by one—and if you’re a bookstore interested in taking part in this ongoing initiative, we’d love to hear from you!

Photo 1:
Photo 2: .hanna
Taken during Blik! 2025, at (16-18th October).

During the three days of this year’s edition of Blik!, artist and co-founder of Blik! Jesper Rasmussen took over with his installation “Photobook Society”.

Much like the festival, the installation pays tribute to the photobook and the many opportunities it presents, while exploring the role and place of the art book in the world.

Photobook Society comprises books, furniture, and elements from a similar previous installation, which together create a “gesamtkunstwerk” that functions as an exhibition scenography for photobooks, an archive, a seating lounge, a lecture salon, a bookstore, and a sculptural work of art in itself.

Galleri Image’s intimate and intricate atmosphere is used to create an inclusive and enveloping scenography that promotes wonder and reflection, as the contradictory functionalities all add up to a unified whole, while simultaneously posing a challenge to each other.

Images by .

The first edition of our new festival, Blik!, took place last week at in Aarhus. We hosted a full program of talks, with Abigail Kleedorfer and Bianca Bailey, from the Steiermärkische Landesbibliothek in Austria; Nelson R. de Arellano, chief curator at the Cuban National Center for Photography, American artist Sarah Schorr () presenting her latest book, founder and publisher of , Anshika Varma (), Danish artist and Blik! co-founder Jesper Rasmussen, and Danish artist Christian Vind.

Thank you to all our guests for their inspiring talks, and to everyone who stopped by and participated. We’re excited about the road ahead, and hope you’ll follow along!

🥂

Photographs by Hanna Hrynkevich (.hanna).

Happy World Photobook Day!

In connection with the launch of the Blik! festival, visual artist Jesper Rasmussen will create a major installation piece entitled Photobook Society in .

Much like the festival, the installation pays tribute to the photobook and the many opportunities it presents, while exploring the role and place of the art book in the world.

Photobook Society comprises books, furniture, and elements from a similar previous installation, which together create a “gesamtkunstwerk” that functions as an exhibition scenography for photobooks, an archive, a seating lounge, a lecture salon, a bookstore, and a sculptural work of art in itself.

Galleri Image’s intimate and intricate atmosphere is used to create an inclusive and enveloping scenography that promotes wonder and reflection, as the contradictory functionalities all add up to a unified whole, while simultaneously posing a challenge to each other. 

Join us at Galleri Image in Aarhus from the 16th to the 18th of October for a full program of talks around the photobook! All the information, in the link in our bio!

The 2025 program for Blik! is up!

Alongside our ongoing initiative with bookstores worldwide (as mentioned in our previous posts), this year’s edition of Blik! will also feature a rich program of on-site and online talks, bringing together diverse voices from the global photobook scene.

Join us at in Aarhus from Thursday, October 16th, to Saturday, October 18th, to celebrate the photobook and our new festival format!

Additionally, an installation by Jesper Rasmussen will be on display at the gallery throughout the weekend — more information coming soon.

We look forward to seeing you!

The 2025 program for Blik! is up!

Alongside our ongoing initiative with bookstores worldwide (as mentioned in our previous posts), this year’s edition of Blik! will also feature a rich program of on-site and online talks, bringing together diverse voices from the global photobook scene.

Join us at in Aarhus from Thursday, October 16th, to Saturday, October 18th, to celebrate the photobook and our new festival format!

Additionally, an installation by Jesper Rasmussen will be on display at the gallery throughout the weekend — more information coming soon.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Have you checked out the photobook selection made by our jury for this year’s Blik! festival?

Ranging across a wide variety of topics and narrative approaches, the selection features photobooks by publishers and self-published authors from all over the world. Through photography and visual storytelling, these books delve into pressing themes—from Climate Change and Technology to Feminism, Travel, and Business.

You’ll be able to explore the selection at the festival’s main venue, Gallery Image in Aarhus, during the festival weekend (16–18 October). In parallel, a curated group of books will also be showcased in independent bookstores across the globe that are joining our initiative. The list of participating bookstores is growing continuously—stay tuned and check out website for the latest updates!

Full list via the link in our bio (www.blikfest.org)

Have you checked out the photobook selection made by our jury for this year’s Blik! festival?

Ranging across a wide variety of topics and narrative approaches, the selection features photobooks by publishers and self-published authors from all over the world. Through photography and visual storytelling, these books delve into pressing themes—from Climate Change and Technology to Feminism, Travel, and Business.

You’ll be able to explore the selection at the festival’s main venue, Gallery Image in Aarhus, during the festival weekend (16–18 October). In parallel, a curated group of books will also be showcased in independent bookstores across the globe that are joining our initiative. The list of participating bookstores is growing continuously—stay tuned and check out website for the latest updates!

www.blikfest.org

With Blik! we aim to bring photobooks into bookstores like never before, showcasing 45 exceptional titles selected by an international jury, composed by:

Tono Arias, .cultura (Galicia, Spain)
Cemre Yeşil Gönenli, , (Istanbul, Turkey)
, artist and educator (Mexico)
Sebastian Gansrigler, Softcover Shop (Vienna, Austria)
Dan Rule, (Melbourne, Australia)
Anshika Varma, (New Delhi, India)
Joe Dilworth, .berlin (Berlin, Germany)
Moritz Neumüller, , editor and writer (Barcelona, Spain)

Through photography and visual storytelling, these books explore pressing themes from Climate Change and Technology to Feminism, Travel, and Business. Bookstores participating in the pilot edition of our festival can browse this list, select titles, and purchase them to display in their stores. The idea is simple: starting on World Photobook Day, October 14, participating bookstores will place these photobooks alongside other non-fiction books—next to titles on Eating Disorders, Travel, Maternity, Sports, and more—so that customers discover them without having to navigate the arts or photography sections.

By joining, bookstores help artists and publishers reach a wider audience while giving their customers a chance to engage with photography in unexpected ways!

Follow for more updates on this year’s Blik! Festival.

Introducing a new festival format, Blik! brings photobooks into bookstores like never before.

Showcasing 45 exceptional titles selected by an international jury, the festival will bring photobooks into bookstores worldwide—placing them alongside non-fiction titles on topics like Anthropology, Technology, Travel, and more—reaching wider audiences and inviting readers to experience photography in fresh, unexpected ways.

Starting October 14th, World Photobook Day, participating bookstores will “misplace” these photobooks among their non-fiction shelves—next to titles on Travel, Maternity, Sports, or Business—so that readers stumble upon them outside the usual Arts or Photography sections.

Are you a bookstore, or do you know one that could be interested in joining us? Follow the link in our bio to learn how to participate in this global experiment!

Blik! is supported by the City of Aarhus and the Augustinus Foundation.