The project I present to you was created during a month-long stay in small island off the North-Greenlandic coast, where life is different to what I know. I was not able to paint in the classic way, and it was an adventure for something new, to open my eyes and mind. The focus in Upernavik is on nature, day light and weather; may it be going to the shop, deciding what to wear, or the (lack of) cosmetics you use.
Even the modest Western European likes to add flair to their dressing style, and is conscious of how “fat” they are. Not in Greenland – straying too far from the clothing norm (like not enough layers or gloves) will see you freeze to death, and that’s only if you haven’t got the layers of insulating fat from a diet that would probably make a Londoner wretch. Make-up? Why bother when you have your face in a hood for fear it will fall off otherwise?
This project matches the Greenland/Western Europe juxtaposition – there is beauty in everything, and more importantly, you need to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with stuff you are not familiar with to fully appreciate it. A bit like silver on my face - silver is a beautiful, precious metal, but when, and to whom?