Susurrus - Book Release
10 June 2026
Susurrus brings together a body of photographic work developed over recent years, exploring the strangeness of everyday life. Still lifes, portraits, landscapes, and ambiguous scenes are presented in dialogue, engaging with themes such as isolation and decay.
The publication unfolds as a visual novel composed of multiple, loosely connected stories, intended to be experienced in fragments. As the title suggests, Susurrus evokes a soft whisper or rustling sound, often associated with wind through trees, waves, or hushed conversation.
The publication includes texts by Nina Strand and Olivia McIntyre and is published by Blackbook Publications.
Max Barel (b. 1996, NO) holds a degree from Oslo School of Photography and HDK-Valand in Gothenburg. In his photographs, there is a particular focus on still life and landscape photography.
With a profound understanding of storytelling and the photographic medium, Barel explores the relations between the familiar and the unfamiliar, rooted in the complexity of anonymous objects and seemingly mundane situations. His photographs challenge our instinctive need to assign meaning or narrative to what we see, inviting us to question our perception of both the ordinary and the peculiar in our surroundings.
Barel’s work has previously been exhibited at, amongst others, KB Contemporary (NO), Bastille Design Center (FR), Röda Sten Konsthall (SE), Gamle Munch (NO), Galleri Thomassen (SE), Kösk (NO), Kommunale Galerie (DE), Göteborgs Konstmuseum (SE), and A60 Contemporary Art Space (IT). He is currently working on his first photobook, set to be published by Blackbook Publications in 2026. Barel is acquired by public and private collections. He lives and works in Telemark and Oslo (NO), and is represented by BRUU STUDIOSTM.