Tyheim

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 photographic 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, always with a distinctly documentary undertone.

Drawn to the raw and often overlooked individuals who inhabit the urban landscape, Tyheim captures the textures of real life: faces marked by experience, expressions suspended between vulnerability and defiance. Each portrait becomes a study in presence, cutting through pretense to reveal something deeply human.

Working with a Leica M11, he approaches the street as both stage and canvas. His photographs don’t simply document; they immerse the viewer in an unvarnished reality, at once beautiful and brutal. Through this lens, fleeting encounters become powerful visual narratives, steeped in authenticity and emotional resonance.

Black Depression

Work in Progress

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 photobook 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 and a beanie stands in the foreground on a rainy city street, next to a fence, with two people in the background under umbrellas.
A man with a beard and wet hair sitting outdoors under a city structure at night, wearing a dark jacket, with a blurry city street and cars in the background.
A woman with red hair wearing a black beanie and black jacket standing in front of a black fence, looking upward with her mouth open, displaying an emotional expression.
A woman with black hair, wearing a brown fringed jacket and gray top, standing against a textured wall with a fire extinguisher in the background.
A man with a beard and short hair leaning against textured and painted wall, wearing a black zip-up jacket with a high collar.
A man with long curly hair and a beard, wearing a red sweater, showing a severely infected and raw arm, standing outdoors near a chain-link fence on a cloudy day.
A man with long blonde hair and tattoos on his neck and hand standing against a dark background, wearing a white T-shirt with red and black text that reads 'ZOMBIES! FROM HELL' and blood splatter graphics.
Black Depression

Tiraspol

Work in Progress

I spent day after day walking the streets of Tiraspol, from early morning until nightfall, moving through a place that exists in political limbo yet pulses with everyday life.

Pridnestrovie, also known as Transnistria: unrecognized by the world, but deeply real to those who call it home. Backed by Russia and cut off from the global banking system. No Visa. No Mastercard. Only the Transnistrian ruble. Life moves slowly here. The streets are calm, the city meticulously clean, and time seems to stretch, unhurried, almost generous.

Everywhere, you are surrounded by Soviet-era brutalism: raw concrete structures, monumental in scale, stoic in their silence. The architecture speaks of a past that never left. The Soviet legacy isn’t just remembered here; it’s lived. You feel it in the geometry of the buildings, in the stillness, in the rhythm of daily life. And yet, layered over the weight of the past is something oddly modern, quirky, out of place, almost surreal. A strange blend of past and present. It’s not nostalgia. It’s presence.

An elderly man with gray hair and a beard, wearing a gray blazer, appears to be in distress, clutching his nose or face, outside on a city street with cars and a building in the background.
An elderly man with a beard and cap leaning forward on a city street, with a white car driving by in the background, and a building with an Apple iClub sign.
A man with sunglasses and a gray cap leaning against a wall outside a building, wearing a black shirt.
Tiraspol

Plur Blow

Work in Progress

Get pulled into the sweat-soaked heart of rave culture with this forthcoming photobook, a collision of flash, flesh, and fevered rhythm. These images hit hard, capturing the split-second chaos of nights lived at full volume. Every frame is a punch of reality: no filters, no staging, just the pulse of the underground laid bare in all its beautiful disorder.

A woman with long blonde hair wearing pink-tinted sunglasses and a bright pink tank top, holding a smartphone, with tattoos on her left arm, standing against a dark background.
A young woman with glitter on her face kisses a shirtless young man while another woman with braids, jewelry, and a blue swimsuit watches in the background.
A shirtless man with blond hair and blue eyes is surrounded by cheering people at a party or celebration, with a woman hugging him from the side.
Group of young women at a party, with tattoos, wearing hats, and dressed in revealing clothing, enjoying themselves in a dark setting.
Plur Blow

Books

The Bookshelf

Tyheim’s photobooks cut straight to the bone, raw portraits of city life that most people walk past without a second glance. Each image drags the overlooked into the spotlight, exposing the grit, tension, and quiet dignity etched into every face. These aren’t just photographs; they’re fragments of the human condition, unfiltered and unapologetically real.

Four women leaning forward closely together with their heads down, appearing to look at something or take a photo. They are outdoors, possibly at a concert or event, with a crowd visible in the background.
A man with wet hair and facial hair looks into the camera in a dark, urban setting at night, wearing a black jacket with water droplets visible on it.
A young man with a beard and tattoos around his eyes and on his face, wearing a black zip-up jacket, standing against a textured wall with contrasting black and white sections.
A person taking a selfie in Times Square, dressed as Santa Claus with a large cake on their head, wearing a black face mask and red Santa costume, with digital billboards and a crowd of people in the background.
Books

Gothenburg Faces

Photobook

For over a year, Tyheim has roamed the streets of Gothenburg, Sweden. His photobook 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 images, 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 woman with black hair carries shopping bags and looks directly at the camera on a busy city street during cloudy weather, surrounded by pedestrians.
Two young people with alternative fashion styles sitting in front of a glass window in an urban setting, with buildings and street reflections visible behind them.
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Prints

Limited Editions

Crafted in Stockholm, Sweden on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta paper, each piece features a bright white, cellulose-based structure enhanced with a semi-gloss coating. These artworks offer perfect color reproduction, with deep blacks and remarkable contrasts. The paper's exquisite felt structure and barium sulfate coating enhance image quality and depth, echoing the feel of traditional analog baryta paper and elevating each piece to exhibition-quality status.

Experience exceptional quality and craftsmanship that distinguish these prints as true collector’s items.

A woman with tattoos lifting her shirt to reveal a large tribal-style tattoo on her abdomen, with her hands resting on her chest, wearing a brown jacket and pearl bracelet.
Close-up of a woman's midsection, showing her tattoo, partially unzipped brown jacket, gray crop top, and black pants, with her hand resting on her hip and a pearl bracelet on her wrist.
Person lifting shirt to reveal tattoo on abdomen, wearing a brown jacket, a gray top, black pants, with tattoos on fingers and wrist, and a pearl bracelet.
Prints