Work in Progress – Photography by Birthe Havmoeller
Artist Statement by Birthe Havmoeller
My life is quest for a connection with my spiritual roots and a wish to raise my spiritual awareness. I took up photography 20+ years ago as a creative tool.
My exhibition ‘Work in Progress’ features five black & white works from my series ‘Land Art’ made in 1999-2001 and three color works made in 2009-2010. The show runs through January 31, 2011, at HUSET (a community art centre) Vesterbro Torv 1-3, 1.sal, Aarhus, Denmark, open Monday-Friday.
‘Land Art’ is a series of works, which question the traditional interpretations of Nature as something/ a place, which can be documented in an ‘objective’ way i.e. for science or a tourist guide. The works of this series show an ‘ikke-verden’, the ‘non-places’ of my inner landscapes. I see a reflection of my inner self in Landscape and in the diverse shapes of Nature and when working with photography am opening myself to what is hidden within, below or above my present level of consciousness. I work intuitively to define glimpses of my subconscious and bridge the gap in consciousness between me and other spiritual worlds, so that I can snap a photo of it and have time to look at it…
Photo from the ‘Land Art’ series by Birthe Havmoeller, 1999
Right from the beginning of my life with photography I adopted the aesthetics of classical landscape photography and black & white photography, as it has a can bringing forth intricate details and makes the images stark.
Digital color photography is still a new media to me and I experiment a lot. I ‘dive into’ the colours looking for a sensibility, which can bring forth all our memories of delight, smell and texture of the subject. Hopefully one day I’ll succeed in mastering the craft of making color photography, where the colors do not detract from the subject matter. This is work in slow progress. I make slow photography.
White Cherry Blossoms, panorama by Birthe Havmoeller, 2010
About Birthe Havmoeller
I am Birthe Havmoeller (born 1962). I am a self taught photographer and queer artist. I am living near Aarhus, Denmark. I devote my time to arts and culture. I have been exploring my visual language for 20-25 years, working with different crafts: sketching, ceramics, photo polymer gravures and photography.
I am editor of Feminine Moments, a resource site/queer art project, which I launched back in 2003.
Related Links
Birthe’s online portfolio