EVOCATIVE LANDSCAPES

In the 19th and early 20th century the north was a site of the sublime, wilderness and untamed beauty to the visiting artists that were often trained in the south of Europe and based in the south. The northern landscapes were colonised- not only literally (through mining, forestry, agriculture etcetera)- but also visually through an outsider painterly gaze. 

In the beginning of this project, we found that we have a common sentimentality towards our landscape -  a landscape that informs our identities and that is threatened by impending ecological catastrophy. We are to some extent culturally marginalised but in another perspective we are at the forefront- looking out from our bastion at the edge of the Arctic. Following in the steps of romanticist plein air painters across the Arctic we set out to explore our homelands with new eyes. We have explored parallells between our time and the romanticist time, and made new work inspired by, and in response to, our landscape. 

By visiting our 'city neighbours' we have been able to extend our networks and perspectives. We have found new inspiration in our landscapes and gotten to know new colleagues. Here are some samples from our short residencies across the Arctic South: