Jonas Paurell has been selected ot exhibit at Hasselblad Fountation's "Fotosalongen 2025"

The Hasselblad Foundation has selected five of Paurell's artworks from the series Arctic Transcendance for exhibition at the Hasselblad Center this summer. 

In Arctic Transcendence (1999–2025), Jonas Paurell compiles an inventory of what is dead or dying in the Arctic. He explores a melting region through the documentation of wild animals and landscapes that he knows will die or never be the same again.

Confronting the reality of a dying Arctic is like looking into the future of the entire planet, as the melting of the Arctic is but a precursor to what will happen to the rest of the world. Paurell's collection of images reflects and reveals that which is about to be lost.

Twenty-six years ago, when Jonas Paurell was 19, he set foot in the Arctic for the first time. The wildlife, the landscapes—it completely changed him. Since then, He has gone back almost every year, traveling through Svalbard, Greenland, the Arctic regions of Scandinavia, and the vast Arctic Ocean. His expeditions have been made by skis, dog sleds, helicopters, and even ice-classed expedition ships—pushing every limit to reach some of the most remote places on Earth. For Jonas, every very trip, every moment out there, has been about one thing: documenting a world that’s disappearing before his eyes – before it is too late.

And that’s the hard truth. The Arctic is melting. Fast. The landscapes and wildlife he captured this year might not even be there next year. The project Arctic Transcendence isn’t just about photography—it’s about bearing witness, about storytelling, and about capturing a vanishing Arctic. Jonas hopes that his images make people stop, think, and feel what’s at stake. Because we still have time to protect what’s left.

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Jonas is excited to announce that he has been selected to exhibit five photographs at the Hasselblad Foundation exhibition!

Melting Ice #1505, Photographed by Jonas Paurell on Svalbard, 2023.

A slowly melting fragment of ice broken off from a larger glacier drifts aimlessly in the spring sun as rising temperatures take their toll. Once part of a vast, unyielding glacier, this fragment now floats in open waters, silently bearing witness to the global process of ice loss. As the ice melts, it becomes a symbol not only of the changing Arctic landscape but also of the far-reaching consequences of climate change. This photograph captures a fleeting moment, the fragment of ice dissolving into the ocean, serving as a poignant reminder that the disappearance of Arctic ice is a visible symptom of a larger environmental crisis, one that threatens ecosystems and communities worldwide.

Gathering of the Tusks, Photographed by Jonas Paurell on Svalbard, 2024.

A colony of walruses rests on a sandy beach, their immense bodies sprawling across the shore as they soak in the warm spring sunlight, with a towering glacier rising in the distance. The once-remote coastline, now more accessible due to rising temperatures, has become a crucial haul-out site for these majestic creatures. Once near extinction in 1952, with possibly only 100 walruses remaining in Svalbard, walrus hunting was banned that year, and strict protections have remained in place ever since. After 70 years of conservation efforts, the population has rebounded to around 5,000 yet remains relatively small. This powerful scene serves as both a reminder of the fragility of the Arctic ecosystem and a testament to the resilience of species when given the chance to recover, highlighting the impact of conservation in a rapidly changing world.

Silent Witness, Photographed by Jonas Paurell on Svalbard, 2024.

A lone Arctic fox, at the peak of shedding its winter fur, moves gracefully across the rocky beach, its paws barely disturbing the pebbles beneath as it hunts for scraps in a rapidly shifting landscape. Unlike the endangered polar bear, which faces increasing scarcity, this resourceful predator finds more food than ever before with longer summer seasons and less snow and ice, a surprising contrast to the harsh conditions of the past. The fox runs along the shoreline, adapting to a world where abundance replaces the once-elusive hunt. In Svalbard, where the Arctic fox remains relatively stable year after year, it stands as a quiet witness to the changing environment around it. This photograph captures a moment of opportunistic adaptation, where survival is no longer defined by the chase but by a world transforming into an unintentional haven for the adaptable.

Fading Path, Photographed by Jonas Paurell in the Arctic Ocean, 2023.

Polar bear footprints on the surface of ice floes, the once-solid sea ice now fragmenting and dissolving into the waters below. Each step, once a sign of strength and survival, now leads to an uncertain future as the path before the bear vanishes. The ice beneath is breaking apart, a haunting reminder that the home of these majestic creatures is quickly slipping away. In this moment, the photograph captures a sad truth: the path of the polar bear, as it once was, has reached a dead end. The disappearing ice is a symbol of the irreversible consequences of climate change, leaving the polar bear to face a rapidly changing world with nowhere to go.

Arctic Sentinel, Photographed by Jonas Paurell in the Arctic Ocean, 2024.

On the retreating sea ice, a mother polar bear stands resolute, her gaze cutting through the gently falling snow, surveying a vast, melting landscape. Close by, her juvenile cub stays near, instinctively reliant on her vigilance. She remains ever watchful, a silent guardian in a world where the warming climate increasingly threatens their existence. The spring ice beneath her is a fragile remnant of what once was, symbolizing the disappearing home she cannot protect. Each passing year brings less sea ice and fewer seals to hunt, making it harder for this mother to nourish her cub. This photograph captures the harsh reality of climate change, underscoring the deepening challenges faced by the Arctic's most iconic inhabitants.

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Being part of this exhibition is a huge honor, and I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to showcase my work. The judges selected me among 1300 hopeful photographers and thousands of images.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my journey—it truly means the world to me

Stay tuned for more about this, as this news is just breaking!