Murals, myths and belonging: how art is reshaping South Greenland |
The morning sun lights up the ice-covered mountains around Narsaq, a small village in South Greenland. Turquoise icebergs float by the shores of the fjords, and seagulls gather on the cliffy rocks. An old man walks slowly along the colourful houses on the hill.
The picturesque scene feels almost surreal, but this is indeed where I find myself as a researcher of public art projects (like street art and murals) and how they shape local communities.
I am about to visit the social services and training centre for young people, “Inusullivik Piareersarfik”, where many come to prepare for the job market and engage in artistic projects in Narsaq.
Some come here because they are having a hard time. They worry about what comes next – work, school, life at home – or they are simply trying to figure out who they are.
For those who are having difficulties, the centre offers counselling through creative activities, where young people take classes in painting, music and carpentry.
Art in local communities
I am in Greenland to study the Sanasa Art Route Project, one of the initiatives at the centre. The project brings together teenagers, artists and community workers to create large-scale murals across South Greenland.
Art has long held an important place in the communities of South Greenland, with various artists and musicians from this region helping shape modern culture and identity.
Award-winning Greenlandic filmmaker Inuk Jørgensen’s recent film Entropy, for example, explores how the destruction of the Greenland ice sheet is threatening the spiritual relationship between the Inuit and nature.
Then there........