‘The Gomez-Brito Family’
Jacob decided to go to Guatemala, Central America, in 2005. The photographer was lucky enough to live with the indigenous family Gomez-Brito in the mountains of Guatemala for one month in the fall of 2004, and for another month in the spring of 2005.
He lived in a remote area in the mountains near the village Nebaj. This particular region maintains one of the strongest indigenous cultures in Guatemala. Many people, however, live harsh, difficult lives. Some live on a wage of $2-3 per day.
Jacob stayed there for roughly a month to narrate with his photography the family’s everyday life. This work did not pass unnoticed either, and the series won the First Prize Award, and Daily Life Stories, World Press Photo 2006.
‘Bangkok Encounter’
From his experience in Tokyo, Jacob moved to Bangkok, Thailand. The artist went there in 2008, during a period of great and fast economic growth. Despite the country’s flourishing growth, the gap between rich and poor people was growing faster than ever before. This element interested the photographer very much.
Jacob’s attention was drawn by the people in slums and poorer areas surrounding the muddy Chao Phraya River. These were the people that Jacob was interested to portray. He longed for a deeper, more intimate connection with these subjects.
‘Home, Copenhagen’
After living in Greenland, in Japan, and also Bangkok, the artist felt the urge to start looking at his own city, the place where he grew up, Copenhagen.
Home is a place of memories. It is where I have my roots. It is a place I keep returning to. If I want to learn more about myself and the world I live in, this is where I look in my own backyard. The place where my personality was shaped and dreams were built.
In “Home, Copenhagen” the artist took pictures of friends, family, as well as strangers that he’d feel a connection with — people who’d invite the young man inside their apartments or houses.
‘Arrivals and Departures’
Jacob’s latest project was about fulfilling a great desire of his. “Arrivals and Departures” is about the legendary Journey along the Trans-Siberian Railway. For many people this is one of the greatest travel adventures of our age. The whole journey takes the traveler in an adventure through Russia, Mongolia, and China.
The whole project revolved around Jacob’s desire to meet new, unexpected people and personalities. However, while on the train, the photographer’s plans considerably changed:
On the train I ended up with my camera glued to the window photographing the change of landscape as we were let along the russian forests, the mongolian desert and through the mountains to Beijing.
One of the greatest moments for Jacob occurred when the young man met a group of Mongolian hunters who invited him to join the group on a trip through the mountains. The photographer immediately felt the desire to drop his camera, pick the rifle, and go hunting. When one of the men shot and slaughtered a deer, they all drank the warm blood and ate the raw liver together.
