Ty-[heim]

Vidar Korneliussen, aka Tyheim is a Norwegian contemporary photographer whose work exists at the intersection of art and documentary.

Blending the raw immediacy of street portraiture with a deeply artistic sensibility, his images are both expressive works of art and unflinching documents of urban life. They are shaped by the emotional and aesthetic concerns of art, yet grounded in the observational precision of documentary photography. Rather than explain or label, he explores the human condition in all its complexity.

Drawn to the raw and often overlooked individuals who inhabit the urban landscape, Tyheim frames the textures of real life: faces marked by collision, expressions suspended between vulnerability and defiance.

Working with a Leica M11, he approaches the street as both stage and canvas. His work doesn’t simply document; it confronts the viewer with an unvarnished reality, at once beautiful and brutal.

Person dressed in a green hazmat suit and gas mask holding a small object in a futuristic, industrial setting with circular light fixtures overhead.
Person dressed in a green hazmat suit and gas mask holding a small object in a futuristic, industrial setting with circular light fixtures overhead.

The face is never my subject. Character is.

A man with an injured, scarred face and a bald head standing in front of a red and white background, with his mouth open and wearing an open jacket.
A man with an injured, scarred face and a bald head standing in front of a red and white background, with his mouth open and wearing an open jacket.
A man with short hair and tattoos on his arm is giving a thumbs-up in front of a peeling painted wall. The wall has faded yellow markings and the top portion shows peeling paint.
A man with short hair and tattoos on his arm is giving a thumbs-up in front of a peeling painted wall. The wall has faded yellow markings and the top portion shows peeling paint.
A man with a shaved head and numerous injuries on his face, standing shirtless against a red and white background. He is wearing a torn, sleeveless jacket and has a small backpack on his shoulder.
A man with a shaved head and numerous injuries on his face, standing shirtless against a red and white background. He is wearing a torn, sleeveless jacket and has a small backpack on his shoulder.
A person's upper torso with several tattoos, including two stars with swastikas on the shoulders and a detailed wolf face on the chest.
A person's upper torso with several tattoos, including two stars with swastikas on the shoulders and a detailed wolf face on the chest.
A person's arm with various tattoos, including a monkey, a skull, and other designs, is visible in black and white. The person is wearing a shirt with a palm leaf pattern.
A person's arm with various tattoos, including a monkey, a skull, and other designs, is visible in black and white. The person is wearing a shirt with a palm leaf pattern.
Close-up of a tattooed shirtless man wearing a black cap, with part of his face visible, standing outdoors with a building and parked cars in the background on a sunny day.
Close-up of a tattooed shirtless man wearing a black cap, with part of his face visible, standing outdoors with a building and parked cars in the background on a sunny day.
Two people engaged in a wrestling match on a padded surface, with one person on top and both smiling, wearing casual clothing and a bandana on one person's head.
Two people engaged in a wrestling match on a padded surface, with one person on top and both smiling, wearing casual clothing and a bandana on one person's head.
A person dressed as a mime with a painted face, wearing a black top hat, a suit, and a lanyard, standing in front of a white wooden wall.
A person dressed as a mime with a painted face, wearing a black top hat, a suit, and a lanyard, standing in front of a white wooden wall.
This is Tyheim
Nina - Curator
A shirtless man with tattoos on his chest and arms, sitting in front of a light-colored wall, making a squinting face.
A shirtless man with tattoos on his chest and arms, sitting in front of a light-colored wall, making a squinting face.
A person is lifting their shirt to reveal a large Hitler and Nazi eagle tattoo on their abdomen, along with scars on their lower stomach area.

Odesa, Ukraine / Nov. 2025 - Present
Ongoing body of work

These artworks form part of a wider photographic art project documenting the atmosphere of Odesa, Ukraine, and the lives of those living on the edge of society during the war.

Black
Depression

Philadelphia, U.S. / Oct. 2025 - Present
Ongoing body of work

Kensington, Philadelphia is one of the most brutal neighborhoods in the United States. It’s a place torn apart by fentanyl, street violence, poverty, and systemic failure. Homicides are common. Overdoses happen in the open. People live, and often collapse, on the sidewalks. The atmosphere is heavy, desperate, and raw.

This project is shaped by that depression and disintegration. It reflects what it feels like to stand inside that world: close, uncomfortable, and real, yet strangely vibrant, colorful, and, in its own way, beautiful. These are visual expressions of despair, not explanations of it. Nothing is staged. Nothing is embellished. This is art pulled from the edge.

A man with a beard in a black beanie and tan jacket is under a bridge or overpass, holding a cigarette. Two women are nearby, one with an umbrella, standing against a chain-link fence on a rainy night.
A woman with black hair, tattoos, and a black hair bonnet posing against a textured wall, wearing a brown fringed jacket over a purple crop top.
A man with a beard and wet hair wearing dark clothing and a black puffer jacket standing under a bridge or overpass on a rainy day in an urban setting.
Elderly man wearing a black wide-brimmed hat, large glasses, a dark suit, white shirt, and gold necklace, standing in front of a metallic shutter.

Books

On the Bookshelf

These aren’t just photographs; they’re fragments of the human condition.

Low-angle view of three people standing on a crosswalk with a crowd in the background, sky with some clouds visible.
Low-angle view of three people standing on a crosswalk with a crowd in the background, sky with some clouds visible.
Books

Gothenburg
Faces

Signed Book / Sept. 2023

His book Gothenburg Faces delves into the city's soul. Each page offers a visceral journey through portraits that reveal the often-overlooked beauty of everyday encounters.

Featuring more than 50 artworks, this book is more than just a collection of photographs. It’s a powerful narrative steeped in authenticity, breathing life into the raw human essence of Gothenburg.

A group of women waiting in line outside a store, with some looking at their phones and others engaging in conversation, under an overcast sky.
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Plur Blow

Signed Book / Aug. 2024

These works form part of a larger photographic project created at Sana Duri in Gothenburg, Sweden, and published in book form. Within the book, the images are paired with first-person accounts drawn from the Reddit forum r/aves, recollections marked by intensity, absurdity, and dark humor.

Young woman with blonde hair wearing pink sunglasses and an orange tank top holding a smartphone, standing against a dark background.

Curated
Works

Limited Editions

Selected through international curatorial review and produced to the highest fine-art standards. Each work is available for acquisition as a numbered, archival artwork, never reproduced beyond its edition.

Close-up of people at a crosswalk, focusing on their legs and hands, in an outdoor urban setting with a sign in the background.
A person with tattoos is exposing their chest and holding their shirt with tattoos visible on their chest and stomach. They are wearing a brown jacket, a pearl bracelet, and have jewelry on their fingers. The background appears to be an outdoor wall.
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