Alex Hartley (born 1963) is a British artist whose work addresses complicated and sometimes contradictory attitudes toward built environments and landscapes.
Career
Hartley's artwork was exhibited in
Charles Saatchi's ''
Sensation
Sensation (psychology) refers to the processing of the senses by the sensory system.
Sensation or sensations may also refer to:
In arts and entertainment In literature
* Sensation (fiction), a fiction writing mode
* Sensation novel, a Britis ...
.''
With
Black Dog Publishing, he produced the architecture/climbing crossover book ''L.A Climbs'' in 2004, and the
Fruitmarket Gallery
The Fruitmarket Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Since its opening in 1974, the gallery has become part of the Scottish contemporary art scene. After a period of closure to undergo a significant renovation, the ga ...
in Edinburgh published a monograph, ''Not Part of Your World'' to coincide with his solo festival exhibition in 2008.
Nowhereisland
In 2004, whilst participating in a
Cape Farewell Arctic expedition, Hartley discovered Nyskjæret, an island about the size of a football field, in the archipelago of
Svalbard, a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
territory in the
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...
. The island had been revealed from within the melting ice of a retreating glacier and Hartley was the first human to stand on it. He originally called it
Nymark Nymark (Norwegian: "new ground") was the name that artist Alex Hartley gave to a small island he discovered in the arctic archipelago of Svalbard, a Norwegian territory, in 2004. It is officially named Nyskjeret by the Name Committee for Norwegia ...
(meaning 'new land') and the
Norwegian Polar Institute has since recognised the island as Nyskjæret and included it on all maps and charts subsequent to its discovery.
In September 2011 he returned to the island with permission from the Governor of Svalbard to declare territory from the island a new nation called
Nowhereisland. As part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, the new nation of Nowhereisland, a floating island, made the journey from the Arctic to
Weymouth on the Jurassic Coast and on to
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
. The island arrived in Weymouth on 25 July 2012 to coincide with the sailing events of the London
2012 Summer Olympics and
2012 Summer Paralympics
The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...
.
Awards
*1999: Shortlisted,
Citigroup Photography Prize,
The Photographers' Gallery
The Photographers' Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography.
It is also home to the Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, established i ...
, London
*2015: Coal Prize, Art and Environment
References
Britânico quer criar uma república no Ártico(Agence France-Presse, in Portuguese)
External links
Hartley's websiteNowhereisland websiteArtists taking the lead - Alex Hartley
Explorers of the Arctic
1963 births
Living people
2012 Cultural Olympiad
British contemporary artists
English contemporary artists
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