On August 22nd, the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands will present an exhibition featuring works by Faroese artist Jens Dam Ziska. Ziska has consistently exhibited quality works that have been ever-evolving in artistic expression. More recently, he has been working with large-format paintings. This will be his first major museum exhibition and the first time that these grand paintings will be exhibited in the Faroe Islands.

The exhibition is titled ‘Eftirmyndir’. Jens Dam Ziska’s works do not depict the actual event but rather what remains — the aftermath of an event, hidden realities, forgotten stories, and how the metaphysical world can influence the experience of a place. The works are echoes of the unseen and depict what once was. These afterimages are a borderland between what is observed and what is imagined. An exploration of memory and personal experience, where reality and interpretation merge.

The paintings are rooted in traditional painting but stand out in what we know from Faroese art history. Ziska observes and portrays his surroundings through a contemporary lens. He works in diverse forms and techniques and is constantly challenging tradition. Much of the subject matter comes from photographs, which he uses as a tool to record motifs. In the process, he dissects the photographs by adding drawings and graphics.

 Ziska’s works most often depict places that hold special meaning for the artist. He translates these locations into abstract compositions. Graphic shapes float and pulse in colorful harmony, creating a sense of weightlessness which at the same time seem firmly grounded in geometric structures. This is a new Faroese landscape, a new Faroese interior — rooted in both the Faroese and an international sphere. A Faroese subject matter that is part of global trends and influences.

The exhibition is open from 22nd August to 2nd November.