Hans Pauli Olsen’s Standing Pictures

Sculptures and busts by the great sculptor of the Faroe Islands

27 February – 5 June 2016

Hans Pauli Olsen was born in the Faroe Islands in 1957. A sculptor, he studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen (1979-87), where he still lives and works. Clay plays a crucial role in Hans Pauli Olsen’s expression and, albeit to varying degrees, it is always apparent in his busts and bronze sculptures how his hands work with the clay, leaving obvious, tactile traces in the material.

Like few artists today, Hans Pauli Olsen is a master at portraying the human body, a motif that recurs throughout his oeuvre. But he is by no means a naturalistic sculptor, even though his roots are in a classical sculptural tradition. Hans Pauli works figuratively and conceptually in an attempt to recreate the more surreal aspects of existence by exploiting the likes of reflections, illusions and shadows.

Hans Pauli Olsen has created an abundance of sculptures in public spaces, both in the Faroe Islands and in Denmark. His many portrait busts include depictions of the Royal Family and of prominent Faroese artists.

The North Atlantic House exhibition includes a number of busts and models, and larger works in a variety of media.