Håvard Homstvedt's first soloshow at Southfirst in Williamsburg is titled " Make Light in your Dark House".
Homstvedt presents metaphoric figures rendered in a thickly painted style. The texture and application of the paint are reminiscent of woodblock print methods or textiles, and make reference to a Norwegian craft palette, particularly the subtle colors traditional to rosemaling, a style of 18th century decorative painting. Flowing lines and imaginative flourishes are characteristic of Homstvedt's backgrounds, which set off iconic, archetypal scenes.
In "Feeling Man," a six-foot by five-foot painting completed in 2005, a silhouetted dandy in a top hat stands with his double, a man made of multi-colored veins. He and his companion—or doppleganger —both carry staffs, as if they were about to set off on long journeys in opposite directions. This image, like others in the show, possesses an enigmatic narrative quality. It points to Homstvedt's interest in the scenarios historically often reproduced as genre scenes or decorative images and the associations these images evoke.
Håvard Homstvedt received a BFA from RISD in 2000 and an MFA in painting and printmaking from Yale in 2003. Before coming to the United States he studied art and design in his native Norway. His work has been shown at Feigen gallery in New York as a part of "Relentless Proselytizers," curated by David Hunt, and was most recently on display at Connecticut State University and Inman Gallery in Texas. He is from Trondheim and lives and works in New York.
When: Friday, April 8 through Sunday, May 15
Where: Southfirst, 60 N 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY
Info: (718) 599-4884 or info@southfirst.org