Saturday June 4th is the opening of the exhibition “The return of the fabled animals” showing drawings by Eskild Hagemoen. We asked Eskild to tell us a little bit about himself, and what his creative process is like.
“My name is Eskild Hagemoen. I am 10 years old, and I am a 4th grader at Kastellet School at Nordstrand in Oslo.
In my spare time I like to do gymnastics and downhill skiing, but most of all I like to draw. I have enjoyed drawing since I managed to hold a pencil in my hand for the first time in kindergarten.
When I first started drawing, I was very inspired by the tv-show “Øistein’s pencil”. Øistein draws funny animals out of doodles and geometrical shapes. I have every DVD that has been released by him.
When I started school I was very inspired by Pokemon and other Japanese animation films. I collected Pokemon cards and took great interest in the magical powers the various figures had.
In the last couple of years I’ve been really into the Marvel universe and its American superheroes.
When I draw it’s important to me that I don’t just copy my sources of inspiration, but that I make my own interpretations of what I see.
In this exhibition you will find drawings of animals, fabled animals and monsters. For each drawing I make, I also make up a little story about the creature in my head. I decide what sort of powers and abilities it has, where it lives and what sort of personality it has. For the exhibition I have written a little bit about this under each drawing.
I’m not sure what job I want to have when I grow up, but I have considered becoming an animator. Now that I am a kid and I have a good imagination I make up stories and develop characters, when I’m an adult and I’ve learned more about computers I can make movies. Only time will tell…..”
When we asked him about the creature in the header image, he told us this:
“The drawing is of a fabled animal who is part squirrel, part lizard, part lion, part hen and a little bit ram. What is so great about stemming from so many different animals, is that you get all the best features from each animal. That way it becomes a superanimal who’s so strong and powerful that it ascends from the regular world and into the world of fairytales. This particular fabled animal’s only superpower is that it is extremely beautiful. It is so beautiful that all the other fabled animals are speechless with admiration. That way the creature always has its way. And maybe that is the best superpower you could have?”
Program Saturday June 4th
Opening at 13.30. Free entrance between 13.00 and 14.00.
The artist will be present.
