This trip is taking me to Östersund, a city in the middle of Sweden with a population of 58,000. The only city in the county of Jämtland. It was founded 1786.
I am going there because I have an exhibition to hang at a gallery in the city, Galleri Remi.
I am going by train from Gothenburg, where I live, to Östersund it takes a while so I took the night train. I boarded the train at 7 in the evening and left it at 6 in the morning. They even had a small cinema at train. Maybe it is because of all the films I've seen taking place in sleeping compartments, but I really like the feeling.
Gun Brännström, the owner of the gallery met me at the train station and took me to the gallery. I've sent my paintings a week before, to be sure they are there when I arrive. There are too many and too big for me to bring them myself. Gun has already unpacked them. She is a very nice woman, she loves art and she talks a lot :) The hanging of the exhibition goes fairly smooth and after the press has paid us a visit I have time left over for touristing. I asked people what they think I should see when in Östersund and almost everyone says that I have to go to the museum Jamtli. So that is where I headed.
Jamtli has permanent exhibitions about the region’s past and temporary exhibitions from today. In summer time they have an open air museum.
Spring in the Sami country. A old Sami Joik and a more modern one. Erika Larsen has taken wonderful photos at the some Sami people.
The Överhogdal Tapestries are the crown jewels of Jamtli’s collections. They were found in a shed by the church in Överhogdal in Härjedalen in 1910. First believed to date from the middle ages, C14 test conducted in 1991 proved the different parts of the tapestries to date from between 800 and 1100 AD. This means that they were made during the Viking era.
There is a lot to do in Östersund outdoors, like skiing in wintertime. But when I am there it is getting dark already around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. So after visiting Jamtli and walking around for a while in the town I spend the evening in my hotel room, which is nice since I've been working so much lately. I guess if you live at hotels often it is very boring, but since I don't I like it a lot. Even to watch tv feels different and being away from home makes me think in new ways, just a little bit but even so it makes me happy. I am here working but it feels like vacation.
The next day is opening day. I have time for a walk before it all happens. I take a walk down by the lake, Storsjön /the Great lake, the story says there is a monster living in it... It is a milky grey day, I feel good.
The opening goes well, all the people are so friendly and interested. The gallery closes and I'm tired and hungry. A short rest at the hotel and then home to Gun, the gallery owner, for dinner with her husband and their artist friends Annika and Björn. I don't think I need to say it was a lovely evening.
The morning after I had a cup of coffee and a pastry at Törners Konditori before I headed to the
airport, for a flight to Stockholm to meet with Karin in her new shop Manos, but that's another story.
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