{"id":21719,"date":"2017-09-05T13:49:55","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T13:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artzealous.com\/?p=21719"},"modified":"2017-09-05T13:49:55","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T13:49:55","slug":"tasting-the-future-at-the-lofoten-international-art-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/tasting-the-future-at-the-lofoten-international-art-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Tasting the Future at the Lofoten International Art Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Josie Hines is the co-founder of Art Frankly<\/a>, a\u00a0platform for the art world to find\u00a0and post jobs, spaces and discover other opportunities. Art Frankly is the\u00a0one stop shop for your art world needs and we’re big fans. <\/em><\/p>\n

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So naturally, w<\/em>hen the Art Zealous editorial team found out Hines was off to Norway to check out the\u00a0Lofoten International Art Festival, we convinced him to write about his journey. *Score.*<\/em><\/p>\n

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“I flew into Oslo from New York for my first visit to Norway. The beauty of the harbor, opera house and people are, to a degree, like one might find in Copenhagen and Stockholm, the two other capitals of Scandinavia (although Oslo\u2019s temperament is a bit more subdued). The view from the white marble opera house is especially stunning on the roof, which visitors are invited to climb.<\/p>\n

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The National Gallery provided a perfect afternoon activity as I tried to beat my jet lag and not miss out on this clean and efficient city, especially as Thursday entrance is free. Free is otherwise not a theme in this country where coffees start at $5 and simple sandwiches (including the local favorite fishburger) can run north of $20. At the National Gallery, between Munch\u2019s \u2018The Scream\u2019 and other Norwegian and Danish gems, there is more than enough to fill a few good hours.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Edvard Munch, The Scream<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The National Gallery<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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But Oslo was just a stopover on my trip up to the far north of Norway to cover the Lofoten International Art Festival (<\/span>LIAF 2017<\/span><\/a>). This leg of the journey took two flights in propeller planes for roughly 3 hours total: Oslo-Bod\u00f8-Svolv\u00e6r. \u00a0Located above the Arctic Circle, the Lofoten Islands are an archipelago with a rich history of cod fishing and whaling but also of art. The 2017 rendition is hosted in the tiny village of Henningsv\u00e6r.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lofoten Islands image \/\/ courtesy of google maps and David J. Rodger<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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According to their website, Lofoten International Art Festival was first initiated in 1991, as a local art exhibition with a broad range of expressions and with a regional profile. From 1999, the festival was given an international profile changing the name to Lofoten International Art Festival, and since 2009, the festival has been run by The North Norwegian Art Center (NNKS) and LIAF\u2019s artistic advisory board.<\/p>\n

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Henningsv\u00e6r, Norway <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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LIAF 2017 in Henningsv\u00e6r is curated by Milena Hoegsberg and Heidi Ballet with help from assistant curator Alison Powell Karasyk. They titled this year\u2019s festival ‘I Taste the Future.’ As the curators eloquently express:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe times we are living in could be the setting of a dystopian novel. Ice caps are melting, islands are disappearing due to rising water levels and large sections of the 25-million-year-old Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia are dying. All the while, the economic machinery that is causing our planet\u2019s demise presses forward.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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LIAF 2017 curators Heidi Ballet and Milena Hoegsberg <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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This statement links perfectly with the backdrop of <\/span>Henningsv\u00e6r, where the very way of life is threatened by the effects of climate change, despite Norway\u2019s world-leading work to become not only carbon neutral but completely powered by renewable energy (99% from hydro power as of 2016). The festival includes many powerful works of art and performances that speak to the past, present and future — re-engaging \u201cthe idea of the \u2018future\u2019 without succumbing to apocalyptic thinking.\u201d My personal favorites include written works by Youmna Chlala, and performances by Egl\u0117 Budvytyt\u0117, and Adam Linder and activated by Stine Janvin Motland.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Egl\u0117 Budvytyt\u0117<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Adam Linder To Gear a Joan, 2017 Vocal performance by Stine Janvin Motland, duration variable Photo: Kjell Ove Storvik\/NNKS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Youmna Chlala How Many Tongues Does it Take to Make a Color?, 2017 (detail) Text installation with vinyl and neon Photo: Kjell Ove Storvik\/NNKS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The experience of LIAF 2017 is a transformative one. The combination of the multi-media art on display in multiple locations (all within easy walking distance) with Henningsv\u00e6r\u2019s natural environment is touching, shocking and other-worldly. \u00a0It left me with much food for thought. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The rain was intermittent, and the temperature in early September hovered between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so pack some sweaters and jackets! \u00a0We did have one day in the mid 70\u2019s, prompting our innkeepers to close the front office at noon. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The inn is a row of fishermen\u2019s <\/span>cabins<\/span><\/a> right on the water, called \u201crorbuer\u2019 or sea-houses ($180-$250 per night). In the old days, up to 10 fishermen would stay in one cabin without the modern amenities I enjoyed. \u00a0But even that was an upgrade from earlier times when the fishermen would simply flip their open-air boats on the shore and sleep underneath them on wool blankets until the sun rose for another rough day at sea (in the dead of winter, no less).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Henningsv\u00e6r rorbuer <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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View from my Rorbus <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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As I mentioned, everything in Norway costs a lot. A 20-minute cab ride will run you $100. Beers at the local pub cost over $12 and dinner out will never be less than $70pp at the nicer locations. That said, the best restaurant in Henningsv\u00e6r is agreed to be <\/span>Fiskekrogen<\/span><\/a>, where whale is on the menu and is quite tasty. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Despite most Westerner\u2019s aversion to eating whale, in Norway <\/span>whaling<\/span><\/a> is highly regulated to ensure the maintenance of minke whale populations, but no one would blame you for skipping the dish. I would suggest bringing your favorite libations with you from home in your check-in to save money, as well as buying local groceries to cook meals in the rorbus\u2019 private kitchens. I rented a <\/span>car<\/span><\/a> as well, at around $100 per day. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Fiskekrogen<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Fishing vessel next door<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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There is much to do and see besides the art festival. The Lofotens landscape is breathtakingly magnificent and surreal. Mountains towering up from the sea offer picturesque scenery that seems more Game of Thrones than the dynamic fishing center that it is. A kayak trip in the nearby waters is a must, but only for experienced kayakers as the water is cold, the tide fast and lack of slow-down courtesy from the local fishing boats can make for a wavy ride. An enjoyable 90-minute drive to Eggum, and it was time for an easy hike around the shoreline that faces the open ocean. A quick stop on the way to experience Dan Graham\u2019s Untitled<\/em> piece is obligatory.<\/p>\n

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Dan Graham \u2018Untitled\u2019 1996<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A history lesson awaits adventurers on the Eggum shoreline: the Nazi war machine invaded Norway and in 1943 set up a radar station to track Allied ships headed to Murmansk to supply Russia under the Lend-Lease program. Upon spotting the supply ships, the Germans would indicate locations to waiting U-boats that would, in turn, do their best to sink them.<\/p>\n

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Destroyed radar station in Nazi Bunker in Eggum <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The statue Hodet (The Head) by Marcus Raetz <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Hiking in Eggum <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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En route back to Oslo I chose to take the <\/span>ferry<\/span><\/a> from Svolv\u00e6r to Bod\u00f8. It is a roughly three-and-a-half-hour journey, and well worth it for the experience. From Bod\u00f8, I flew back to Oslo, but not before watching two NATO fighter jets taking off from the parallel military runway.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I highly suggest the trip to visit LIAF 2017<\/a> this month for any lovers of art, travel or both. The festival is open through October 1<\/span>st<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Josie Hines is the cofounder of <\/span><\/i>Art Frankly<\/span><\/i><\/a> and contributor to Art Zealous. Images courtesy of author and LIAF. Top image \/\/\u00a0Egl\u0117 Budvytyt\u0117, Liquid Power Has No Shame, 2017 Performance, 25 min. Photo: Kjell Ove Storvik\/NNKS<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I flew into Oslo from New York for my first visit to Norway. The beauty of the harbor, opera house<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":21748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,11,21],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21719"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artzealous.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}