Future Eyes | artbase-helgeland

Future Eyes / Sandnessjøen harbour 2016

The buildings in Sandnessjøen harbor are centrally located between the waterfront and parking in front of the new Culture house, Kulturbadet and Scandic Hotel Seven Sisters has undergone a complete transformation over a three weeks period. From being grey buildings they now lit up and gives new energy and identity to the area and the city.

The artwork consists mainly of portraits inspired by local children and youth. The works focus upon eyes, which inspire, provoke and engage the audience food for thought and action; you are followed by the future eyes. If you observe the portraits closer you can come to recognize the real person behind. The powerful colors make the effect of the gaze that looks at you even stronger being framed by the otherwise monochrome palette around.

Jorit AGOch works mainly with realistic portraits. His work Bjarne, is part of the project Human Tribe – Humanity, a project that has propelled him around the world. Sandnessjøen is now part of this international project, as the first within the Nordic countries.

What characterizes Jorits work is according to himself is the dark background and strong realism with detailed facial features. He says that when he is working on the portraits he feels free and unlimited. He began to sign his portraits with two red lines or scars on the cheek referring to the ancient African rituals being inspired by his visits in sub-Saharan and Tanzania. He is convinced that all differences of race, gender, religion and social class are insignificant compared to the same assumptions people have, in being a human being.

(Blue portraits)

Leticia Mandragora paints goddesses - girls / women and often in pairs. The portraits are inspired by the local girls she met in Sandnessjøen and a girl from Naples. The portraits reflect the cultural and emotional exchange that took place during her stay in Sandnessjøen. The painting shows two faces united by thick hair. The hair refers to the roots of the mandrake plant that can mimic the human body and medical, mystical and magical properties associated with them while the blue faces represents the sky and sea, and is a color that is used in many cultures to portray goddesses, the feminine and the eternal.

(Color lattice)

The wall that connects the portraits is an explosion of color that is controlled by a geometric grid. If you look carefully, you can find a sailboat and a lighthouse located on the back corner of the house. For this work, the artist’s has only one thing to say: "This town needs colors". The work is a dialogue with the former graffiti project, Welcome Home, which has a similar intensity in their color scheme, but picturing a white rabbit in speed towards the unknown.

Commissioned by Alstahaug Havnevesen / Alstahaug Harbour Authority, 2016.

Artists: Jorit Ciro Cerullo, Naples, Italy & Leticia Cascone Ruiz, Madrid - Spain / Naples, Italy

Assistant: Francesco Parisio Perrotti
Idea, production, coordinator, curator: ArtBase Helgeland 66°N v/Ina Otzko