Jan Wanggaard
Encyclopedia
Jan Wanggaard is a Norwegian artist
with a wide range of expressions from pure sculpture
to land art
in a wide sense. He was World Champion in windsurfing
in 1981 and studied Art and Design in Newcastle upon Tyne
, England
(1983-1987).
, a giant installation representing the Solar System
placed in the wild nature of West Lofoten. A documentary film called Panta Rei (norw. Alt Flyter) by Lars NIlssen follows Wanggaard over a period of 3 years during realization of Planet Lofoten. This film won Award for Creativity at FIFA Art Film Festival in Montreal
2007. Wanggaard is Manager for
Maud Returns Home, a crossover artproject/salvage-operation for the Polarship Maud
of world famous Polar Explorer Roald Amundsen
, who was the first man on the South pole
. The intented Salvage Operation is planned to be realized during 2012-13. Maud sunk in 1930 in the North West Passage and is planned to be brought back to Vollen
and Norway where she was built nearly 100 years ago. The intention is to build a Maud Museum in Vollen.
In recent years Wanggaard has been invited to present his works at a number of Galleries in Europe
such as Museum of Modern Art
, Mudam
in Luxembourg, Triennale di Milano, Italy
and Gallery Trafo, Norway.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
with a wide range of expressions from pure sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
to land art
Land art
Land art, Earthworks , or Earth art is an art movement which emerged in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in which landscape and the work of art are inextricably linked...
in a wide sense. He was World Champion in windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
in 1981 and studied Art and Design in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(1983-1987).
Life and Career
One of Wanggaard's works is Planet LofotenPlanet Lofoten
Planet Lofoten is a Land Art Installation of the solar system positioned in the open nature of West Lofoten in Northern Norway.The Planets are made from stone and range in size from Jupiter at several hundred kilograms to Pluto at only a few grams, and ranges within an area of 30 km from Reine...
, a giant installation representing the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
placed in the wild nature of West Lofoten. A documentary film called Panta Rei (norw. Alt Flyter) by Lars NIlssen follows Wanggaard over a period of 3 years during realization of Planet Lofoten. This film won Award for Creativity at FIFA Art Film Festival in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
2007. Wanggaard is Manager for
Maud Returns Home, a crossover artproject/salvage-operation for the Polarship Maud
Maud
As a feminine given name:As a placename:* Queen Maud Land , an area of 2.5 million square kilometers claimed by Norway in 1938* Queen Maud Gulf, Nunavut, Canada* Maud Island, the second largest island in the Marlborough Sounds* Maud, Aberdeenshire, a small town in the Buchan area of the county of...
of world famous Polar Explorer Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
, who was the first man on the South pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
. The intented Salvage Operation is planned to be realized during 2012-13. Maud sunk in 1930 in the North West Passage and is planned to be brought back to Vollen
Vollen
Vollen is a part of the Asker municipality in Akershus county, Norway. For statistical purposes, it's usually treated as part of the Oslo urban area. It is mainly a residential area, though the area has a café, a restaurant, several art galleries, a primary school and secondary...
and Norway where she was built nearly 100 years ago. The intention is to build a Maud Museum in Vollen.
Works and Exhibitions
- PLANET LOFOTENPlanet LofotenPlanet Lofoten is a Land Art Installation of the solar system positioned in the open nature of West Lofoten in Northern Norway.The Planets are made from stone and range in size from Jupiter at several hundred kilograms to Pluto at only a few grams, and ranges within an area of 30 km from Reine...
An Installation of the Solar System in Lofoten, Norway. - MISVÆR MARIT A historical practical research project on classic Viking-style sailing/fishing boats.
- BLUE EYE AMPHI The Millenium place of MoskenesMoskenesMoskenes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The area of the municipality comprises the southern part of Moskenesøya. It is part of the Lofoten traditional region...
Kommune, Lofoten.
In recent years Wanggaard has been invited to present his works at a number of Galleries in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
such as Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, Mudam
Mudam
The Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art , abbreviated to Mudam, is a museum of modern art in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The museum stands on the site of the old Fort Thüngen, in the Kirchberg quarter, in the north-east of the city....
in Luxembourg, Triennale di Milano, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Gallery Trafo, Norway.