The bright, two-storey flat in Copenhagen’s upscale Østerbro district is far from the planet’s hotspots. It holds Jan Grarup’s photo studio and old-fashioned camera, Danish everyday life goes on here, but somewhere between the dollhouse and the aquarium a bulletproof vest waits to be worn… Grarup has challenged fate for more than 25 years. Nevertheless, the human mind tends to be the riskiest area of all as he deals with post-traumatic stress disorder and seeks balance in the constant contrasts of existence—especially after the death of the mother of his three eldest children.

Psychological portrait of a unique artist. Jan Grarup is an influential and award-winning war photojournalist as well as an author and lecturer. His black and white photos starkly reveal human nature, its suffering, and the hope within despair. The depth and aesthetic of his work frees the viewer from the illusion of a safe haven as it raises questions that have no easy answers.