Akyreyri

A magical place in the north of Iceland.

I was super happy with the invitation of Gil Artist Residency from Akureyri, Iceland. This will be my first time to stay in an Artist-in-Residence abroad. I love to travel, discover the world and get inspired by cultures and environments unknown to me. Special doors open up through the residencies. They make it possible for artists to live and work in the most amazing and inspiring places, all over the world.

Artists from all over the world stay here to develop their projects.

During an earlier round trip in 2013 I got impressed by Iceland. Besides the infinitely beautiful places in the most unique landscapes I visited some museums in Reykjavik and Akureyri. Akureyri is located in the north at the Eyjafjörður, which means island fjord. It is the only larger city outside the Reykjavik region.

Salman Ezzammoury - Artist Residency Iceland

Gil Artist Residency is the place for artistic research, production and exhibitions. The organization strives to stimulate creativity through interaction with the local environment, arts and cultural institutions. It aims to foster exchange between participants and the local community. Artists from all over the world stay here to develop their projects. The studio you stay in is located in the centre. What they expect from an artist is a presentation or an exhibition in the gallery Deiglan, located next to the studio.

After receiving the invitation I started to work out my plans. What do I want to do when I am a guest for a month? Not very difficult for me, I am someone who is always busy. It is never quiet in my head. I have never had a lack of ideas. I am always busy with new work. Like now...

My main goal came naturally: at the end of my stay, I want to organize an exhibition entitled Akureyri through the eyes of a stranger. Every day a nice piece of art inspired by the new surroundings. To make the most of the moment, I planned two more expositions with work I brought back from the Netherlands. And because I am a cameraman for TV Ede for a biweekly art program, I came up with a third project. I wanted to make a film about artists at work in their studios and turn that into an artistic video project. And... I also had to find time to visit museums, art markets and local artists in the region. With my head full of ideas, the moment came to leave...

Early one morning in summer my girlfriend and I drove in a van to the harbour of Hirtshals in the north of Denmark. When we arrived there we checked in on the Smyril Line, the only ferry with a connection between the mainland and Iceland. An amazing sea trip of two and a half days. After more than 1500 kilometers of drifting along the waves of the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, we finally reached the East Icelandic harbor of Seyðisfjörður.

Salman Ezzammoury Exhibition in Deiglan gallery

Seyðisfjörður has a surprising location and is surrounded on three sides by high mountains. It is a place where the light blue painted church immediately stands out. The small village also has a cultural center, a gallery and an Artist Residency. Great, but maybe for a next time. We drive on to our destination Akureyri, a trip of about 4 hours. At first the road winds through the mountains and runs through a characteristic landscape with lava fields and groups of sheep.

At times when I am working in the studio, I put a sidewalk sign on the road "my studio is open".

The sheep are usually together with three, a mother and two cubs. The wool is a by-product but still you are flooded with woollen sweaters and other wool productions. After more than half a week on the road we reach our destination. In the spacious and still bare studio the work that I brought along gets a nice spot.

At times when I am working in the studio I put up a sidewalk sign on the road "my studio is open". That makes for nice encounters. Visitors from all over the world on a journey through Iceland walk in. I meet people from the United States, Australia, Italy, Canada, Israel, South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany and Chile. But also locals and artists from the Akureyri area walk in. With visitors I share my and their curiosity and interest in art and culture, a very special experience.

Salman Ezzammoury Exhibition in Deiglan gallery

Akureyri is a beautiful, calm and clean town, situated on one of the most beautiful fjords in the far north, its surrounding mountains, the friendly and special inhabitants, the characteristic landscape and multicoloured houses, a cosy centre, a wonderful Thermal Pool 100 metres from the studio and even an amazing Botanical Garden a few blocks away. Just like the forest in the neighbouring valley, these are things you don't think of first when you talk about the north of Iceland. The residency is located in art street, the appropriate nickname for the location in the middle of town, opposite the art museum and the School of Visual Arts. A remarkable detail in the city is that at all traffic lights the red light has the shape of a heart.

Every morning I got up early. (...) I take my camera, pen and paper and walk through the streets, through the breathtaking surroundings, the mountains and the neighbouring valley.

The fjord and Akureyri regularly disappear in the fog. Especially in the morning and with a breaking sun this is indescribably beautiful. So mysterious. Then a new rhythm arises. Every morning I got up early. After a modest breakfast and a shower with the smell of sulphur, which is common in Iceland, I soak up the fresh morning breeze. I take my camera, pen and paper and walk through the streets, the breathtaking surroundings, the mountains and the neighbouring valley. I don't decide on the subjects beforehand. I prefer to let go of plans in order to be surprised by things I haven't thought of. I record everything that invites me, things that spontaneously come my way, things that move or embrace me, that appeal to me, beautiful things, but also what is ugly is beautiful. Everything that touches me is beautiful, that is no coincidence.

I love to work alone. For a whole month I have a beautiful studio at this location to work in, to relax and to get inspired. The studio consists of a working space with beautiful daylight from the roof, a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Through a door in between you come directly in the gallery where I exhibit two weekends.

Salman Ezzammoury - akureyri through the eyes of a stranger

I always travel with a purpose. Staying in an artist residency is ideal for this, you can become part of a city. As a stranger you feel at home, it feels wonderful.

My work consists of a mix of photography and digital painting. I combine these two disciplines, often using the camera as a sketchbook. Photography is based on feelings. How do I experience the moment, my dialogue with the subject, sometimes I stand still, to wonder, the other time I dance back and forth and spin around the item that touches my deep feelings. I love what I do, the technique of the trade I forget in that moment.

In my work I give my own expression, I don't research anything, it's the love that arises between me and the subject. Sometimes I want to spread love with my work, the beauty of us and our environment. I try to find the positive things that make us all happy. Another time I am protesting against the injustice, saying no to those who want to destroy our lives. Sometimes I am busy with myself, looking for me, looking for me. I still haven't found it, fortunately.

By means of all the images I try to express my emotional experience. It is mainly about making clear what my experience is of a moment, of a situation or of a place. Time and again this results in a poetic character that leaves room for the viewer's own associations. For this I use modern digital tools. I believe that art not only enriches society, but above all that art brings people together. Art as a weapon for a better world.

As planned, I have been visiting Icelandic and foreign artists, attending various art activities and exhibitions. I have been to a neighboring Artistin-Residence on the island of Hrísey, Listhússes in Ólafsfjörður and Bear Art Center in Hofsós. These are located on the Tröllaskagi peninsula.

The opening was a major nationwide event, opened by the Prime Minister of Iceland and the Minister of Culture.

And faster than expected came the last weekend of my visit in which I presented my new work in the form of an exhibition Akureyri through the eyes of a stranger in Deiglan gallery. Where you normally count on about a hundred visitors during the presentation, I suddenly received over 2000 visitors that weekend, due to a surprising circumstance. An overwhelming interest and an overwhelming success, helped by the fact that the Art Museum across the street had planned a major reopening after a large-scale renovation and had been closed for over a year. The opening was a major national event, opened by the Prime Minister of Iceland and the Minister of Culture. Many guests from all over the country, visitors and residents of the city came to this event.
The enormous interest was largely due to the fact that my exhibition was included in the programme and that numerous activities had been organised in Art Street. What a coincidence, what a fluke, what a stroke of luck.

It was truly an outstanding experience that I will never forget.

salmanezzammoury.com