summertime is art exhibition season here in town. there are many galleries with a wide variety of exhibits. some galleries are designed and constructed specifically as galleries but most are located in various historic buildings. independent of whoever the artist is any given year, my favorite gallery is the storehouse for gunpowder in the old naval base which is now a park.
eirik jensen has exhibited here in stavern earlier with his
inhale exhale concept but this year is the first time in the powderhouse. and this year with him is stojan minev, an artist i am not familiar with but whose worls i am eager to see. the old building is well suited for both their paintings and sculptures. the focus of this post is not individual pieces of his art per se, or the building itself but how the arrangement in the unique space creates an exceptional exhibition.
the powderhouse has two entrances, this front one to the upstairs and the back one to the downstairs.
the view from the top of the stairs upon entering the hall
the first steps inside the main hall
some works are placed in the center on the original plank floor from the 1760s
while the more or less whitewashed old brick walls make a great backdrop my eyes are immediately drawn to the light in the middle of the painting. but on a closer look i notice how the dark sections of the painting allign with the changeovers on the brick wall. almost as if the painting was designed to fit the space.
many of the largest paintings are virtually floor to ceiling
the wooden ceiling beams are quite low but since they are wide apart and there is no ceiling or interior walls the atmosphere is open and airy yet at the same time intimate
again the brick wall seems to continue into the painting
the larger darker piece is effectively placed in a window alcove with the window shutters closed
a detail with sparks flying in a fiery bloody battle
another felicitous use of a window alcove
and i have come full circle approaching the exit stairs
before descending the stairs a mysterious curtain comes into view. intriguing...
i am not sure if that curtain is connected to the exhibition or not. it was rather spooky so i am happy to be approaching the light from outside
outside again. going to the back door but that will be in my next post
