Greenlandic artist, Buuti Pedersen, talks about glass art and her fascination with nature.
About life, art, and nature
“You think to yourself – does it look like that? But to me it looks like this! ”
The artist Buuti Pedersen (b. 1955 in Qaqortoq) has been a great nature-lover since she was very young. As a 12-year-old, she felt the frustration of not being able to reproduce the landscape as she experienced it. It gave her the will to constantly evolve as an artist!
Watch and learn more about Buuti’s path into art (only in Danish at the moment).
About glass art
“If I, as a Greenlander, was not able to somehow create the Greenlandic world in glass, I don’t know who would be able do it. Many people can make an iceberg in glass – but maybe not the way I do it.”
Glass can encapsulate a small world that seems both fragile and solid like stone, at the same time. The artist Buuti Pedersen works in many different materials, but over the last 23 years she has repeatedly returned to glass as her chosen material.
Watch and learn more about Buuti’s fascination with glass (only in Danish at the moment).
About the polar bear, the line, and playing with animals
“The polar bear is special to Greenland. As a Greenlander, you are always asked: Have you seen polar bears? Yes, I’ve seen one – at the zoo!”
You may not know the name Buuti Pedersen, but if you’ve been to Greenland, you’ve probably come across her most iconic motif: the polar bear. The motif has followed Buuti from the beginning of her education and has been on both a can, clothes, and jewellery.
Watch and learn more about Buuti’s play with polar bears (only in Danish at the moment).
Kimik – a professionalisation of the art world in Greenland
“And of course, we have to keep working on improving our working conditions – because it’s not always easy to make a living as an artist and not know where your next income will come from. Most artists in Greenland will have to have a second job as well.”
The Greenlandic artists’ association KIMIK was formed in 1993 by Buuti Pedersen and other artists. The artists wanted to create a place for art in Greenland and together fight for the conditions of the professional artists in Greenland.
Watch and learn more about KIMIK (only in Danish at the moment).
About watercolours
“The world in-between Greenland and Denmark, it lives in me, because I am both. I am so lucky to have two worlds that are completely under my skin.”
In the series ‘Silaannap Nunaanni’, the artist Buuti Pedersen paints snapshots from the world between Greenland and Denmark – literally and figuratively.
Watch and learn more about being of two worlds (only in Danish at the moment).
About whales, water, and craftmanship
“I am a trained craftsman – and I have to use my skills! On the cover of the bible, on paintings that people look at, and for glasses that people drink from.”
Art and crafts are all around us, whether it’s s vase of flowers, the books in the bookshelf or the buildings around us. The artist Buuti works with art in all possible forms and finds herself at the crossroads between art and crafts.
Watch and learn more about i.a. Buuti’s decoration in Katuaq (only in Danish at the moment).
