Apparent Magnitude

Johan Österholm

Four hundred years ago, everyone in Florence could see the stars, but only Galileo had a telescope. Now almost everyone can access a telescope, but no one can see the stars—light pollution is the reason why. The great majority of us here on Earth live under nighttime skies where we can see no more than a few dozen stars, whereas on an otherwise clear night, thousands upon thousands would be visible to the naked eye. Across the world, the shadow that the earth rotates into each night is steadily becoming lighter, to the point that UNESCO has declared humankind’s access to an unpolluted night sky and the firmament to be an inalienable right.

Johan Österholm explores the relationship between modern astronomy and this increasing brightness of the night. Recent and upcoming exhibitions include “Jamais laisser les photos trainer,” Galleria Monica De Cardenas, Milano; “Back to the Future,” Foam, Amsterdam & C/O Berlin; and “Sculptural Landscape,” Copenhagen Photo Festival.