This show developed out of a month-long residency in Northern Iceland, just below the Arctic Circle, that Third Barn artists Pat Badt and Scott Sherk completed in August 2022.
The experience of working in the harsh yet delicate environment of Northern Iceland revealed the fragile nature of the landscape and the interdependence between landscape, weather, and human presence.
The exhibition delves into the reality of the changing climate, focusing on melting ice and glacial rivers as a poignant symbol of its consequences. It offers viewers a profoundly personal perspective on the impacts of climate change through the lens of art.
Scott Sherk's videos and sound installations capture subtle shifts in surroundings, such as the movement of blades of grass, the relentless flow of water, the whistling of wind passing through the fence, and extrapolate these moments into meditations on change and adaptation.
Pat Badt's paintings, drawings, and volcanic rock sculptures transcribe these changes in the language of poetic abstraction. The works focus the viewer's attention on a splash of roof color among the fields, light escaping at the edges of a curtain, a plane of grass disappearing into the fog, and together creating a personal diary of the observed.
The physical landscape becomes a "projection screen" for the artists to reflect inner scapes of memory, thought, and concern.
The exhibition depicts the beauty and fragility of Icelandic landscapes while inviting reflection on humanity's role in safeguarding the planet and meditating on our environment, both immediate and remote.
https://www.turnpark.com/program/exhibitions_projects/scott-sherk-and-pat-badt
All images copyright The Third Barn, 2024