SOUTHFIRST: PRESENTS

HAAVARD HOMSTVEDT

MAKE LIGHT IN YOUR DARK HOUSE

8 April – 15 May, 2005

Opening Reception, 8 April 7–9 PM

SOUTHFIRST gallery is proud to present MAKE LIGHT IN YOUR DARK HOUSE, an exhibition of paintings by HAAVARD HOMSTVEDT. The solo show of large-scale oil paintings depicting multicolored allegorical scenes is on view from April 8 – May 15.

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 18^th 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.

Haavard 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.

SOUTHFIRST is located on 60 N6th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Gallery hours: Fri, Sat & Sun 1-6 PM and by appointment. Subway: L train to Bedford Avenue. For more information, please contact Southfirst at 718 599 4884 or info@southfirst.org.

S O U T H F I R S T

60 North 6th Street Brooklyn, NY 11211

phone/fax: 718 599 4884