Norwegian photographer Christian Houge will display his large scale images of the desolate landscapes in the far north of Svalbard at the Hosfelt Gallery, New York, from January 3 to February 16.
The seclusion of Svalbard results in its having the cleanest atmosphere in the world and being one of the best places to do astronomical, meteorological and climate-change research. Hence, the remote and pristine landscape is interrupted by massive installations of technological and scientific equipment. Hauge captures this curiously beautiful interplay between nature and technology in images that both have a magical and deserted feel to them, displaying what might be deemed the extension of the final frontier.
Sphere At Dawn by Christian Houge
Since 2000, Christian Houge has been making large-scale panoramic images in this landscape, exploring the human presence in this bleak yet beautiful site. Making reference to art forms as diverse as traditional landscape painting, the photography of Bernd and Hilla Becher and the Land Art of Walter De Maria and James Turrell, these images provoke a meditation on one’s place in the universe.
On the island of Spitsbergen is a Soviet-era coalmining town, Barentsburg, with a population of 800. Houge visited the community repeatedly and in images that do more than just document the worksites, schools, and cafeterias where the people live, has captured something of the human instinct and defiance needed to survive under adverse conditions.
Antennaforest by Christian Houge
Christian Houge was born in 1972 in Norway, where he lives and works. He has exhibited extensively in Norway as well as on the continent. His photographs have also been commissioned by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is his first solo exhibition in New York.
When: January 4 to February 16, Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10-6
Where: Hosfelt Gallery, 531 W. 36th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues.
Info: call (212) 563-5454 or visit www.hosfeltgallery.com