Martin Velíšek´s Exhibition “Greenlandic Myths with Pen and Ink“ in Skive
01.04.2011 / 10:00 | Aktualizováno: 22.10.2014 / 17:12
An exhibition of Martin Velíšek’s illustrations to Knud Rasmussen’s Greenlandic Myths and Legends took place at Skive Museum. The Czech Ambassador Zdeněk Lyčka opened the exhibition on Saturday 29 January 2011. The opening was accompanied by a Greenlandic choir. In connection with the exhibition, Skive Museum arranged a number of lectures and educational activities under the title of “Greenlandic Days”. The exhibition lasted until 3 April 2011.
Poster
Invitation
Opening- Opening speech in Greenlandic
Invitation to the lecture ”Knud Rasmussen and the Greenlandic Myths” in Skive
Lecture “Knud Rasmussen and the Greenlandic Myths and Legends“
The exhibition of raw and grotesque illustrations was placed in Skive Museum, which has a close connection to Greenlandic culture. In the 1930’s, the museum received a big donation from the Danish polar researcher Lauge Koch, who closely cooperated with the Danish-Greenlandic polar explorer Knud Rasmussen.
Knud Rasmussen collected and translated most of the Greenlandic myths and legends into Danish. From his extensive work, a selection of Greenlandic Myths and Legends was published in Czech (Argo Publishing House 1998, second edition 2007, translation: Viola and Zdeněk Lyčka).
The illustrator Martin Velíšek (* 1963) graduated in glass art at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. His glass art represented the Czech Republic at the EXPO World Exhibition in Japan in 2005. He is the main “visual artist” of the alternative punk band Už jsme doma and a regular illustrator of the Czech weekly Týden. Besides Greenlandic Myths and Legends, he illustrated many other books including Božena Němcová´s classic The Grandmother.
Martin Velíšek: Angakok
The exhibition was presented for the first time in September 2008 in Greenland’s capital Nuuk as part of the Czech Days in Greenland. Then it travelled around Greenland – Qaqortoq, Maniitsoq, Sisimiut and Ilulissat. The inhabitants of Maniitsoq had the opportunity to meet Martin Velíšek and attend a common lecture by Martin Velíšek and Czech Ambassador Zdeněk Lyčka in April 2009. In 2010 the exhibition was shown at Knud Rasmussen’s House in Hundested.