New issues: Greenland - "Greenlandic Art IV"

A polar bear on a small block of ice in a dark room. The brush strokes are roughly arranged using a loose hand. The polar bear has a correct anatomical shape, but becomes subordinate to the artist’s desire to express herself. A yellow and green light shines through a wide open hatch. The polar bear gazes towards an unknown destination on the other side of the square opening where snowy icebergs are glistening.
Artist: Maria Panínguak‘ Kjærulff was born in 1980; her art is created reflecting on modern Greenland. Her designs reflect, often despite inputs of realism, her inner states of mind and, therefore, express a naturalistic genre. This expressionalism also can be seen with the polar bear standing on a too small block of ice - showing concern about the global climate changes - which is clearly noted by us who live close to the Arctic. A concern the artist shares with the polar bear.

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A golden sun radiates energy. A spiral movement of heat or shoals of fish in an otherwise cold room. Where there is light there is life. In its form both colouristically and ornamental.
Artist: Miki Jacobsen was born in 1965. His art is often characterised with a powerful expression that takes the spectator back deep into Greenland’s cultural history. He is able to follow the mythical track and give it new life in his art, thus bridging the gap between past and present. The importance of the Greenlandic cultural heritage is transmitted by the artist to his art; his works often has a special aura of monumental timelessness. Meanwhile, his work is of particular importance for the Inuit selfunderstanding since Miki Jacobsen in his art raises the question: Where do we come from and who are we?

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Three well-fed Greenland razorbills lie side by side. The two feathery bellies are purple and blue. The bird in the middle has leopard-patterned wings. "They have sought away from their own culture and received inspiration from outside and now have new colours", Bolatta explains about the image on the stamp and continues, "it is also how I look at a lot of modern Greenlandic art. We have for a long time concerned ourselves with our original culture; we are now «safe» with it and know where we come from, so now we can be inspired from other mediums and cultures".
The strong and dark colours in the background leading up to a brighter centre add depth and a certain graphic effect to the stamp.
Artist: Bolatta Silis-Høegh was born in 1981. She was educated at The Jutland Academy of Fine Arts, Aarhus. One of the young artist’s themes is identity confusion, the meeting between cultures, globalisation and global warming, torn between outside cultural influences (e.g. Americanisation) on the one hand and an almost a national romantic quest for the indigenous Greenlandic Culture on the other hand.
Bolatta put her thoughts into words on this occasion: "Great identity-less concrete buildings are springing up everywhere; an otherwise impressive cultural centre will become a big cinema with a cafeteria, which serves coca cola in plastic mugs; the cosy bakery is replaced by charm-abandoned supermarkets - it feels like people have forgotten aesthetics and this is out of place in our beautiful country".
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Tehnical details:
Value: 6.50, 7.50 and 50.00
Date of issue: 18th January 2010
20 stamps per sheet
Size: E - horizontal
Outer measurements: 50mm x 43.50mm
Typography: Dorit Olsen
Printing Method: Offset
Paper: Sopal

Postal Authority Greenland