Meat, watercolour and gouache on paper, 2022. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Kjøt (Meat)

Toronto, Ontario

November 25, 2022 – January 8, 2023

Presented by
Harbourfront Centre

Flag of Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
Free Event

Is it a sheep, ape or even human? What’s the difference? It’s all meat.

The beliefs and practises surrounding meat as a food resource are centuries old and still exist in the Faroe Islands. Heiðrik á Heygum presents this series of new paintings as a subtle commentary. The subjects seem far removed from the land and sea they were harvested from, but the connection between heritage and nature remains.

“Most animals are killed and butchered behind closed doors. We rip off their skin, replace it with shiny plastic, and clean it to ensure that it is blood-free and looks nice and tidy. Most urbanites will probably never see the live animal and connect it to their favorite meat in the freezer, now only identified by a name tag.

Is it a sheep, ape or even human? What’s the difference? It’s all meat.

These paintings are depictions from photos of different meat and Faroese fish farmers, raise or harvest, preserve and package then sell online.”                         – Heiðrik á Heygum

MÓÐIR (Mother) is a surrealistic art film inspired by traditional Faroese songs sung by the Faroese female vocal quintet KATA. The film is a dream journey into a Faroese soundscape with KATA’s voices representing the female energy of the motherland through air, earth and water. Length: 11 minutes. Language: Faroese.

Artist
Heiðrik á Heygum

Heiðrik á Heygum graduated from the Danish Independent Film School Super16 and the Academy of Art of Iceland. á Heygum is called a renaissance man whose work encompasses film, art, and music and often combines all three art forms. He is one of the leading artists from the Faroe Islands, producing art, music, award-winning films and music videos for acclaimed Nordic singers and acts. He hails from a conservative background in the isolated Faroe Islands, and growing up in a religious and patriarchal society significantly impacted his childhood. á Heygum’s art is divided into two different worlds: a world of the surrealistic and fantastical to the quiet and private world questioning identity, social heritage, sexuality and adulthood. In 2021, he presented a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands. Harbourfront Centre presents Kjøt (Meat) from November 25 to January 8, 2023. It is his first solo exhibition outside Europe.

heidrik.squarespace.com