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.

This is Tyheim
Nina - Curator
A shirtless man with tattoos, including a large wolf face on his chest and other tattoos on his arms, sitting indoors and smiling.
A woman with long red hair sitting on a bench outdoors, wearing pink knee-high socks with bows, a beige jacket, and earrings. She rests her chin on her hand and looks thoughtfully ahead. There are shopping bags and a plush toy nearby, with a background of buildings and trees at dusk.
Person lifting their shirt to reveal a large black tattoo of an eagle clutching a swastika, with some minor cuts and bruises on the abdomen, on a city street with pedestrians and buildings in the background.
A woman with dark hair wearing a black and gray varsity jacket standing in front of a red and white background.
A man with a beard and mustache wearing a brown flat cap and a black leather jacket, sitting on a vehicle with a window behind him. Sunlight is casting shadows on his face, and in the background, there is another man with curly hair in a beige jacket, along with blurred urban storefronts and signs.
A man wearing a cap, dark jacket, and a crossbody bag outdoors with city buildings and power lines behind him.
A person with tattoos on their arms is wearing a dark gray T-shirt with blue, white, and red graphics and text. The person is standing outdoors in front of a city street scene, with a bus and a car visible behind them.

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 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.
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.
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.
A man with long blonde hair and tattoos, wearing a white t-shirt with blood-splattered text that reads 'ZOMBIES! FJUGE,' stands against a dark door and brick wall background.
A man with dark curly hair and a beard sits outdoors near a chain-link fence, wearing a red knitted sweater and black pants, with a grim expression on his face.
A woman with red hair, wearing a black beanie and dark clothing, standing against a black metal fence, with an expressive face and looking upward.
A young man with tattooed face and beard stands against a textured wall with different sections painted white and black.
A woman with curly, reddish-brown hair in a high bun secured with a pink hair clip, standing in front of a dark tiled wall. She is wearing a plaid jacket, a white T-shirt with pink and blue lettering, and a silver chain necklace. She has earrings and a serious expression on her face.
A young woman with light skin, long wavy brown hair, and green eyes standing in front of a colorful graffiti wall. She is wearing a pink shirt and a black cardigan.

Tiraspol

Tiraspol, Pridnestrovie / June 2025

I moved slowly, letting encounters unfold. Faces emerged from the quiet rhythm of the streets, marked by time, routine, and the weight of a place that exists in political limbo.

Pridnestrovie is unrecognized by the world, but undeniably real to those who inhabit it. Backed by Russia and cut off from the global banking system. No Visa. No Mastercard. Only the Pridnestrovian ruble. Life moves slowly here, and that slowness settles into the faces you meet.

The Soviet legacy is etched into the people. Brutalist concrete looms in the background, but it is the human presence that holds the frame. The past has not disappeared; it lives on in the faces that look back at you.

And yet, within these encounters, something quietly contemporary appears. An oddity. Moments that feel slightly out of time, slightly surreal.

Older man with gray hair and beard in a gray blazer standing on a sidewalk, holding his nose, with cars parked nearby and a sign in Cyrillic script on the right.
An elderly man with a beard and cap looking at the camera, standing in front of an Apple iClub store with a white older model car passing by on the street.
A shirtless young man with short hair and a necklace stands outside at night, in front of a building with large glass windows and a sign in Russian.
A middle-aged man with light skin and short gray hair, wearing a black Adidas jacket with white stripes and a red shirt underneath, standing indoors against a green wall and a green bench. Behind him, there is a display window with various toiletries including razors, toothbrushes, and bottles.
A man wearing sunglasses and a black shirt standing outside near a wall with neon signs.
An elderly man wearing sunglasses, a wide-brimmed straw hat, a sleeveless vest, and a necklace with a cross, standing outside a store with Cyrillic signage.

Books

On the Bookshelf

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

Young man in a formal suit with a bowtie, standing inside a building with large windows and plants, adjusting his jacket.
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.
People crossing a city street on a cloudy day, including a woman with dark hair, a man with a beard, and others in the background.
See Availability

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.

A man and woman kissing, with a second woman standing behind them, at what appears to be a party or celebration.
A young woman with blonde hair wearing pink-tinted sunglasses and a bright orange top, holding a phone in her hand, with a surprised or confused expression on her face.
Woman wearing a dark red hoodie with 'DIE.FQON.1' printed on it, standing in a dark environment with other people, some wearing orange rain gear.
A shirtless man with a beard and a tattoo on his chest stands next to a woman in a black crop top. The background is dark with small points of light, possibly stars or lights.
Close-up of a woman with black hair and a man with sunglasses, in a dark environment with tents in the 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.

A person with tattoos, wearing a hoodie and jewelry, is lifting their shirt to reveal a tattoo on their chest and an intricate tattoo design on their stomach. The image is taken against a plain background.
Group of people looking down at something on the ground at an outdoor event or concert.
Close-up of a person with tattoos on their chest and hand, wearing a brown jacket, a gray shirt lifted to reveal chest, and a pearl bracelet, with multiple fingers touching their chest and body.
See Availability