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The Wooden Boat Culture of the Øhavets
Throughout history boats have been integral in shaping the lives of islanders and their neighbours. The context of this exhibition centres on more recent history of wooden boats designed, built and sailed in the archipelago of southern Fyn.
Many of the exhibits are representative of the boatbuilders who amassed an extraordinary amount of knowledge through their skills as boat designers, builders and restorers, namely Torsden and Ib Ivar Dahl, Kristian Fribo, Ib Nielsen and Tobias Bauneborg Nielsen who recently build a two-masted Smakkerjolle in Svendborg.
The drawings made by Torsten Ivar Dahl are a product of a fertile mind influenced by the historic boat designers Aage Utzon and Colin Archer. In themselves they are the art of the draughtsman and their antiquity pushes them more into the domain of artscapes. The deliberations, thinking and convictions of the man are evidence of his commitment to his profession and understanding of the world on water.
Kristian Fribo designed and built his boat Rosaline over an eight year period (1980-1987) at his home in northern Fyn. The transcript of an interview with him and Annette, his wife, describes the practicalities and thinking behind the design and building process.
The collection witnesses the personal interests of Strynøber and without whom this exhibition would not have been possible. A big thank you goes out to Lone Anesen, her son Laurits and Agnete and her father-in-law Ib Ivar Dahl for so many of the exhibits associated with Torsden Ivar Dahl and the boat models; to Ole Mortansøn for his inspiration, a photo and description of his Aalborgjolle and a painting by Ib Nielsen; Asbjørn Bøg Petersen for his loft finds of a beautiful antique boat model made on the island and an antique yacht made from Agate; Ib Nielsen for the exhibit about his building of Selma at the Øhavets Smakkercentret; Søren Højbjerg for the model of a boat he made from his shoe, aged 8 and a ship made of corn horn and bought by his mother many years ago; and not least Skjold Christensen for a photo of his grandfather and sailing colleagues and for his help with exhibits from the Strynø Archives.
We are also most grateful to the institutions which safeguard the culture wooden boats in our community - The Øhavets Smakkercentret and Denmark’s Museum For Lystsejlads for the loan of exhibits which identify with the workmanship of boatbuilders.
"Øer" or "Islands"
By
Members of the Fyns Grafiske Værksted and invited printmakers including
Mogens Jessing
Pil Lindgreen
Vinni Elgaard
Nanne Sie
Tilde Louise Carlsen
Joseph Salamon
Marianne Lindberg Jepsen
Anne-Marie Hansen
Tina Lindgreen
The Exhibition is curated and hung by Ros-Mari Madsen, a member of Fyns Grafiske Værksted
June 30 - July 30, 2023
Kunstnerens Brief
Introduktion
Dette er en åben udstilling, og vi vil gerne invitere dig til at være konceptuel i din kreative fortolkning af temaet. Vi vil gerne udfordres som øboere. Vi ønsker, at din kunst tager os med på en rejse.
Baggrund for udstillingen
- I Danmark er der 1.419 øer, hvoraf 443 er navngivne og kun 78 er beboede. De bidrager alle til at være danske – vi er trods alt en ønation. Mange af de mindre øer er truet på grund af deres perifere status i den nationale politiske økonomi og meget sårbare over for regeringsnedskæringer, miljøforurening og klimaændringer.
- Vi vælger at være øboer af mange årsager, blandt andet for at ville være en del af og bidrage til et meningsfuldt, tæt fællesskab. På Strynø findes f.eks. 17 forskellige nationaliteter, børnehave, skole og en god fællesejet butik. Vi elsker vores ø – dens mennesker, natur, historie og progressive tænkning. Vi er et imødekommende lokalsamfund og arbejder hårdt på at bevare og udvikle de fordele, vi har.
- Vi ønsker alle, at de små øer skal trives. Vi skal fortsat være i stand til at byde unge familier velkommen og give økonomiske og sociale muligheder. Øerne skal spille en vigtig og ligeværdig rolle i Danmarks fremtid, men er desværre ikke tilstrækkeligt inddraget i lokal-, regional- og landsplanlægningen. For dem, der har valgt livet som øboer, er det en evig kamp.
Galleri Tegns formål er at udfordre og fremkalde reaktioner fra især øernes egne beboere ved at belyse eksistentielle, historiske og aktuelle problemstillinger og emner. Galleriets rolle er at udstille og dokumentere de forandringsprocesser, der påvirker de små øer i Danmark. Vi er et lille galleri, der gerne vil sætte en interessant dagsorden.
Februar 2023
Udstillingen er kurateret af Ros-Mari Mattsson, Donna Hurford & Jeremy Cosmo Davies
Ros-Mari Mattsson har hængt udstillingen op.
Vi er dybt taknemmelige for samarbejdet med Fyns Grafiske Værksted i Odense og for de kunstnere, der har leveret en vigtig omtanke og en så forskelligartet respons på det tema, vi har lagt for dem. De tager os alle med på en individuel rejse sat af kunstneren, som får os til at gå ind i den måde, de skaber og ser deres verden på. Spændende.
'Maybe Just A Feeling'
Sculptures by Søren Højbjerg
June 2023
Søren Højbjerg is a well known and established artist and personality on Strynø. We invited Søren as he has an interesting political mind which is conveyed through his sculptures. Trained as a Toolmaker he has a deep understanding of materiality and how to place them in a contemporary context. Søren projects new meaning through his intelligent work - one which you cannot ignore.
Søren describes his art practice:
"I was born in Vendsyssel in 1959, and lived there until 89. I have used my hands creatively all my life, when I was a child for various creative experiments, later for work, conversions of e.g. The power plant, etc.
"I am a trained toolmaker, which means that iron and steel are familiar materials to me.
"As an artist, I am self-taught, but have participated in various courses and workshops, e.g. a year at the Svendborg art school.
"Many of my works are based on the materials I find. They often lead me in the direction of an idea/sketch, depending on where they come from. It can be slate from a church tower, a piece of Ambrosius oak, a stone, a road sign, etc.
"It can also be in the reverse order, I get an idea for a shape and then find the materials for the sculpture.
"I am a political person who is concerned with the world around me and how the face of power appears in different places. I try to express my thoughts about this in many of my works. Here, the materials are found specifically so that I can illustrate and ask questions about a given political agenda/problem.
"I primarily work three-dimensionally, but in recent years have also started to experiment more with images.
"I am inspired by materials, by nature, other people's perspectives and by the world situation.
"Regardless of which works I am working on, they will always be connected to me, my thoughts and feelings, which is expressed in this exhibition as the title says: "Maybe just a feeling".
June 2023.
'Island Treasures'
Personal Momentos & Stories from Strynøbers
Strynøbers were asked to dig deep and present an item, and its's description, which had a place of importance in their lives. The idea was to make the exhibition a personal tribute to those who offered up a part of their story to be seen and reflected upon by those who attended the gallery.
At the opening we had between 40 and 50 visitors to the Galleri, which endorses our view it is here as a resource for islanders and visitors to meet, contribute and bring something new and stimulating into their lives.
The exhibits range from an account of a father's ordeal on one day during the Second World War, to a description of making a spoon from the wood of a shipwreck in New Zealand, and many others... Contributors include Erik Schreiner Hanse, Susanne Hansen, Lise Thillemann Sørensen, John Sørensen, Birgit Bergrensen, Dorte Quist Gregersen, Mikael Kian Hansen, Jeremy Cosmo Davies, Wojtek Zochowski, Donna Maria Hurford, Elisabeth Gregersen, Søren Højbjerg & Helle Elværket, Marianne Schmidt Lund, Birthe Groth, Cecilie Beck Gordon & Gabriel Ladd Gordon, Elinor Meilvang, Martina Dani and Arne Ramhøj.
So do come and visit the exhibition which runs from May 5 - 28. The Galleri Tegn is open from Thursday to Sunday 10.00-17.00, or by prior appointment. Welcome!
"Sea & Land: Strynø's Nature"
by Strynø's Children
April 2023
Strynø's children have such a creative spirit about them. They are very much in touch with the island environment through their learning programme in the school and kindergarden (or Treasure Chest as we call it), playing outdoors, engaging with the Scouts or beach cleanup activities. They live the island. They are what makes this island a viable paradise. Without them we would have no school, Treasure Chest, shop or young working families. They are, after all, the future.
As an island we are surrounded by the sea. During the summer we swim amongst jellyfish and enjoy watching children catching crabs. The island also maintains a large population of spiders of all different shapes, sizes and colours. In the city of Stryno there are a number of trees which are protected - the children have visited, taken photographs and painted those trees.
Every year at the end of March, the nation turns out to pick up discarded litter along roadsides, the beaches and public spaces. This year the Treasure Chest children visited the Strynø coast and collected all sorts of flotsam, found amongst the tangles of Eel Grass washed up on our shores. Their beautiful display is poignant and reassures us that they are being made aware of the effects of pollution at an early age.
Our thanks to the children, teachers and all who worked so hard to make such an exciting and enjoyable exhibition. We would love to host a similar exhibition every year.
"Observations"
By Steen Kjær Jacobsen
June 2022
Steen Kjær Jacobsen is a well established artist with studios on the nearby island of Drejø and in Herning, Jutland.
He writes "My artistic expression is nourished by the place I am in - whether it is a forest near Herning, my studio on Drejø, a street in Rome or a parking lot at the Ferry landing to Strynø. I observe and collect things!
"The goal is to visualise it into an artistic expression on paper, through photography, collages, objects, painting, etc.
"I observe, collect and document the traces that we humans leave. The visual expression is on the threshold between irrationality and the compulsion of scientific classification, and not least the aesthetics of decay. This is how my brain works. It never rests!!
"Even if only a fraction of my observations and collections end up as finished works. I am fine with that. That is the way it is."
Steen Kjær Jacobsen, Strynø, June 2022.
"Inspiration from Africa"
Collection of Kirsten Havermann & Alberto Gallachi
May 2022
Kirsten Havermann and Alberto Gallachi have enjoyed working in a number of African countries and have been able to record their travels through this eclectic collection. This show compiles the richness of artisan workmanship born from strong spiritual and ritual influences in their own societies. Each piece tells a story of purpose, reverence and beauty.
The collection was started over forty years ago by Alberto, as he said, because he liked the individual pieces, the people selling them, and he had the money to buy them. The collection, as exhibited includes Makonde carvings from southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique as figurines, fetishes, and anthropomorphic stools.
Kuba textile hangings, from the Congo, made of raffia in styles dating back to the 17th Century.
Shetani painted carvings , originated in the mid-1980s in the Tingatinga style after George Lilanga (an established Makonde artist). The Shetani is the spirit embodied in the person or animal, which is interpreted by the artist and often with humour. Shetani are also carved by the Makonde in Ebony wood, evoking a spiritual connection to the artist's abstract interpretation of the subject.
The exhibited collection comes from Mali, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.
We thank Kirsten and Alberto for lending Galleri Tegn such well received pieces.
"Castaway"
By Jeremy Cosmo Davies
April 2022
Jeremy Cosmo Davies says that "Castaway is a play on words which reflect on my art practice - using offcuts and my life on a small island - shipwrecked or otherwise.
"My art practice matured during my MA Contemporary Art studies over ten years ago. I was a bespoke furniture designer and maker and for quite some time I had set aside the more dramatic wood offcuts from which I made sharp-edged sculptural pieces. These were offcuts from an oak bridge, an elliptic clinker built seating arrangement, a Windsor chair or other such project.
"It was only in the second year of my course that it dawned on me that all my sculptural output was using offcuts, and so a new journey unfolded in which I was able to define the context of my new found language. It was a spirit discovery which took me into Taoism and the principle of 'Mutual Arising'. Unlike western belief systems, in the east there is little understanding of what we call 'right' or 'wrong'. In Taoism 'Mutual Arising' is figuratively a continuum along which there are many possibilities. There is no singular answer, but more about consideration and reflection through thought and discussion.
"The exhibition presents graphite rubbings, acrylic prints, cyanotype photograms, wooden offcuts in transition, and plaster casts. An example is seen in the series of Cyanotype photograms using offcuts from a project to design a three legged stackable chair to be used by the congregation in a church - and hence the name Trinity Chair. The conundrum of understanding the work rests with you the viewer. For me, I try to keep it simple - why can't the photogram print of the Trinity Chair actually be interpreted as 'the chair'? Taoist principle of 'Mutually Arising' actually allows you to interpret reality in a long, playful, thoughtful and inspiring way. You might not be able to sit on 'the chair', but you can allow yourself to be taken on a spirtitual journey which interprets it as a chair.That is the prize of art more generally, being open to new thinking,
"My passion is materiality and process. To see, hold, touch and feel tactile surfaces. I also have a passion for wooden boats. The workmanship and their understanding of the materials and the processes they follow to design and make something so beautiful and purposeful inspires me. To hear the crusty words of a wooden boatbuilder describe their line of thought, a story, a term or a particular item of purpose defines them - a dying art.
"This exhibition covers three distinct periods spent in England, Kenya and now Denmark. There are many Cyanotype photograms which were made by exposing the photosensitive quality papers to sunlight. Also two graphite rubbings made in Kenya of Swahili shutters and a dugout canoe made from a Mango tree, all on Japanese paper. There are acrylic prints of Red Snapper fish, following an old Japanese tradition of Gyotaku - as a way for fishermen to keep a record of the fish they caught.
"I hope that the show takes you on your own enjoyable journey"
Jeremy Cosmo Davies, April 2022.