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 wearing a green hazmat suit and gas mask holding a cylindrical object with flexible hoses, standing in a dimly lit modern space with white circular ceilings and concrete pillars.
Person wearing a green hazmat suit and gas mask holding a cylindrical object with flexible hoses, standing in a dimly lit modern space with white circular ceilings and concrete pillars.

Kharkiv, Ukraine / July 2026

“The face is never my subject. Character is”

Vidar Korneliussen, AKA Tyheim

This is Tyheim
Nina - Curator
A shirtless man with a buzz cut hairstyle and numerous tattoos on his face, chest, and arms, standing in front of a red background with white lettering.
A shirtless man with a buzz cut hairstyle and numerous tattoos on his face, chest, and arms, standing in front of a red background with white lettering.
A shirtless man with tattoos and a distressed expression, standing in a dimly lit, peeling wall background.
A shirtless man with tattoos and a distressed expression, standing in a dimly lit, peeling wall background.
A bald man with multiple bruises and black marks on his face is shirtless, standing in front of a red wall with white letters.
A bald man with multiple bruises and black marks on his face is shirtless, standing in front of a red wall with white letters.
A woman with curly blonde hair wearing a pink T-shirt with white text reading "AngelA's 21st". She is outdoors on a city street, with cars, a yellow vehicle, power lines, and buildings in the background.
A woman with curly blonde hair wearing a pink T-shirt with white text reading "AngelA's 21st". She is outdoors on a city street, with cars, a yellow vehicle, power lines, and buildings in the background.
A man with tattoos on his chest and arms, staring directly at the camera, against a dark textured background with yellow writing.
A man with tattoos on his chest and arms, staring directly at the camera, against a dark textured background with yellow writing.
A shirtless man with tattoos on his chest and arm wearing a black cap standing outside near a shopping center with a modern glass building and parked cars, blue sky in the background.
A shirtless man with tattoos on his chest and arm wearing a black cap standing outside near a shopping center with a modern glass building and parked cars, blue sky in the background.
A smiling woman with a bandana on her head, showing her shoulder and upper arm with a tattoo, lying on a textured surface.
A smiling woman with a bandana on her head, showing her shoulder and upper arm with a tattoo, lying on a textured surface.
Close-up of a person's arm with various tattoos, including a monkey, a gun, a skull, and text, wearing a shirt with a leafy pattern.
Close-up of a person's arm with various tattoos, including a monkey, a gun, a skull, and text, wearing a shirt with a leafy pattern.
Black and white close-up photograph of a shirtless man with tattoos on his chest and shoulders, including a wolf face, stars with swastikas, and other designs.
Black and white close-up photograph of a shirtless man with tattoos on his chest and shoulders, including a wolf face, stars with swastikas, and other designs.

I’m not looking for pretty. I’m looking for presence.

Vidar Korneliussen, AKA Tyheim

Portrait of a young man with short dark hair, tattoos on his chest and arms, sitting shirtless outdoors with a light-colored background.
Portrait of a young man with short dark hair, tattoos on his chest and arms, sitting shirtless outdoors with a light-colored background.
Person bending over, exposing a tattoo of an eagle and swastika on their side, with multiple blemishes and scars on their skin. The person is wearing a black and white hoodie, with a street scene and trees in the background.
Person bending over, exposing a tattoo of an eagle and swastika on their side, with multiple blemishes and scars on their skin. The person is wearing a black and white hoodie, with a street scene and trees in the background.

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 wearing a black beanie, tan jacket, and hoodie, standing outdoors at night near a fence with graffiti. In the background, a young woman with dark hair, holding an umbrella, is also standing near the fence on a rainy night.
A man with a beard wearing a black beanie, tan jacket, and hoodie, standing outdoors at night near a fence with graffiti. In the background, a young woman with dark hair, holding an umbrella, is also standing near the fence on a rainy night.
A man with a beard and wet hair wearing a black jacket standing outdoors at night under a dark sky with faint stars, possibly near a city street with cars and buildings in the background.
A man with a beard and wet hair wearing a black jacket standing outdoors at night under a dark sky with faint stars, possibly near a city street with cars and buildings in the background.
A man with long curly hair and a beard sitting outdoors at night, wearing a red knitted sweater and black pants, with visible dirt and injuries on his legs, next to a chain-link fence and dark sky.
A man with long curly hair and a beard sitting outdoors at night, wearing a red knitted sweater and black pants, with visible dirt and injuries on his legs, next to a chain-link fence and dark sky.
Close-up of a woman with black hair, wearing a brown fringed jacket over a gray top, with tattoos on her chest, a black headscarf, and pearl bracelets, standing against a white textured wall.
Close-up of a woman with black hair, wearing a brown fringed jacket over a gray top, with tattoos on her chest, a black headscarf, and pearl bracelets, standing against a white textured wall.
A man in a black suit, white shirt, and large black hat with a wide brim wearing large clear glasses, standing in front of a metallic, vented background.
A man in a black suit, white shirt, and large black hat with a wide brim wearing large clear glasses, standing in front of a metallic, vented background.
Close-up of a man with long blond hair, visible tattoos on his neck, and a distressed facial expression, standing against a dark background with part of a brick wall and door in view.
Close-up of a man with long blond hair, visible tattoos on his neck, and a distressed facial expression, standing against a dark background with part of a brick wall and door in view.
Side profile of a young man with dark curly hair wearing a white jacket, standing next to a woman with a pink hooded jacket and black puffer coat, under a bridge in an urban setting with cars and shops in the background.
Side profile of a young man with dark curly hair wearing a white jacket, standing next to a woman with a pink hooded jacket and black puffer coat, under a bridge in an urban setting with cars and shops in the background.
A person wearing a black hoodie with the hood up sitting on the sidewalk, leaning against a concrete structure, with their head bowed and hands clasped. The street scene behind them includes a row of brick buildings, parked cars, and utility poles with wires, under an overcast sky.
A person wearing a black hoodie with the hood up sitting on the sidewalk, leaning against a concrete structure, with their head bowed and hands clasped. The street scene behind them includes a row of brick buildings, parked cars, and utility poles with wires, under an overcast sky.

Refugee Camp

Behind the fences, children grow up with violence, rape, fear, and desperation around them. They run through the same corridors where adults break down. They hear the shouting. They feel the fear. They learn too early that the world can be brutal.

They still play.

But childhood is bleeding out around them.

Books

On the Bookshelf

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

Books

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.

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 two women leaning their heads together in a dark setting.
Close-up of two women leaning their heads together in a dark setting.
A person with tattoos and wearing jewelry is lifting their shirt to reveal a butterfly tattoo on their chest.
A person with tattoos and wearing jewelry is lifting their shirt to reveal a butterfly tattoo on their chest.
Close-up of a woman wearing a white dress and black tights, crossing a street with a crosswalk, with the focus on her legs and hand.
Close-up of a woman wearing a white dress and black tights, crossing a street with a crosswalk, with the focus on her legs and hand.
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