Northern Imaginary

Patrick Huse is known for his numerous projects in graphics and photos in art museums of Norway, Iceland, Sweden, USA as well as compiling books about the Arctic.

The exhibition is the 3d Part of Patrick’s trilogy Northern Imaginary presenting photos about the North made by him in the last 25-30 years.

Patrick Huse has been working in different regions beyond the Polar Circle - Greenland, Canadian Arctic, Iceland and Norway. His interest is primarily awakened by the wild nature and local people, their culture and knowledge.

– Indigenous people’s culture in many ways makes more sense than ours. Their traditions are bigger and have longer history. – believes Patrick. The monoculture is dangerous as the cultural diversity disappears.

Today this threat is brought by the global economy, international corporations, tourism and pop-culture.

Every exhibition made by Patrick is a unique perception of the North. In order to make a project he works with local material studying archeology, culture, history, anthropology and ecology, what helps him to make it outstanding.

A good example is more than 20-year old photos from Greenland presented at the exhibition.

– Communities on these photos are now depopulated, and that time when I made the photos they were not. In this sense pictures become historical as they reflect a part of the history. They can serve as a photo archive. – says the artist.

The exhibition is supported by the Norwegian Barents Secretariat and will be opened till December 6, 2009.