Henningsvær: The Kavi Fac Ory and Pøbel

Pøbel at Kavi Fac Ory

The small village Henningsvær on the Lofoten Islands the is becoming a modern cultural engine in Norway. Henningsvær is far north, beyond the arctic circle with beautiful surroundings, short summers with light all day and night and long winters with darkness around the clock. People here have discovered the value of art and how art can inspire and bring energy to a society that have struggled with depopulation, lack of work and educational possibilities. Today, this part of norway experience a revitalisation and a modern art renaissance. Artists have known the area for centuries because of the beautiful nature and the extraordinary light up north, but they just stayed for a season or limited time and the local comunity or visitors didn't get the pleasure of enjoying the art or benefit from the art in any way.

A brand new Gallery, the Kavi Fac Ory, have turned that notion around. The gallery offers contemporary works, works from international artists like Ai Weiwei, Gilbert & George, Shirin Neshat and more. In addition they exhibit contemporary works from norwegian artist like Kjartan Slettemark, Bjarne Melgaard and Pål Vigeland. Street artists like Pøbel and Dolk have also found their way to Kavi Fac Ory. The Kavi Fac Ory has a unique location and offer experiences of art that never previously has been available to the area and rarely are available in such "off-the-grid" regions.

The old Kaviar Factory is an international venue for contemporary art

The rooms inside are light and comfortable

The Kavi Fac Ory has a unique location

Pøbel has changed the conception of street art as an urban phenomenon. The piece "In Cod we trust" is placed by the harbour of Henningsvær

Pøbel, from Stavanger in the south west of Norway, have developed a strong relation to the Lofoten Area and the Kavi Fac Ory. The Kavi Fac Ory is a bold project and I will visit again. When visiting the gallery, the owners were friendly and had a lot of time to talk about the art works, their project and art in general. That never happens in the city :-)

The Fisherman

The iconic painting 'The Fisherman' exists in thousands of norwegian homes and is considered as a norwegian icon, a part of our identity and coastal culture. A culture which now is threatened by the oil industry.

Some research into the background of the painting reveals that this painting has nothing to do with Norway. The painter of the original work was german and the potrayed man was dutch and not a fisherman at the time.

Some people love it and hail it as the best painting ever made, other think of it as kitch and worthless. It's popularity in Norway has never the less made the painting Iconic. "The Fisherman" was painted around 1920 by Harry Haerendel. Harry was born in Hamburg in 1896 and died in 1991. He studied painting in Hamburg and Berlin and travelled all over europe. The portrayed man is Dorus Rijkers, a dutch sea rescuer, a hero of his time. Dorus was honored for saving more than 500 people at sea. When he died at the age of 81, a parade with thousands of people participated in his funeral.

In 2014, Pøbel painted a modern version of "The Fisherman" in Henningsvær, Lofoten. His jacket is replaced with a immersion suite and his rain hat is replaced with a helmet. "The Fisherman 2014" is transformed into an oil worker.

His introvert character and rugged face, smoking tobacco while gazing towards the horizon, is still present, but the oil industry is moving towards the north of Norway and will this be the end of "The Fisherman"? The end of fishing communities and a culture that has fed europe for centuries?  By his work, Pøbel is challenging the the capitalists, the oil industry and the norwegian state on an important decision for the future of northern Norway.