Mathias Svold and Ulrik Hasemann‘s DMJX projects Kystland (Coastal Land) and Gennem Øjetræet (Through the Eye Tree) are part of the curated exhibition The Earth Beneath Our Feet displayed at Fotografisk Center in Copenhagen till August 16, 2026. The exhibition brings together works by the two photographers and visual artist Christina Capetillo to illustrate how landscapes are full of imprints and stories, forming a kind of living archive providing new perspectives on the interplay between humanity and nature.
Mathias Svold and Ulrik Hasemann started the two projects during the final year of their study at DMJX, and they published the books Kystland (Coastland) in 2019 and Gennem Øjetræet (Through the Eye Tree) in 2023.
Kystland (Coastland) was originally made as Mathias Svold and Ulrik Hasemann’s BA-project in 2017. In words and images, Kystland (Coastland) unfolds the story of the nature and people found where water meets land. In Denmark you are never more than 50 kilometres away from the coast and it plays an important role in the identity of the Danish everyday life. Stretching over 8.750 kilometres it is one of the longest coastlines in Europe although Denmark is one of the smallest countries. It is a workplace, a breathing space, a political battleground while also being the heart of the Danish tourist industry.
Mathias Svold and Ulrik Hasemann started to work on Gennem Øjetræet (Through the Eye Tree) during their seventh term at DMJX and continued the project after their graduation. It has been made over a period of six years where the two photographers documented the nature and cultural history in Rold Skov, Denmark’s largest forrest situated in the Nothern part of Jutland.
