Pierre Auzias
Artist
A talented artist, ballet dancer and choreographer, Pierre became the Official Marine Painter for the Royal Danish Navy. During his Arctic journeys he discovered Greenland, fell in love and settled in Uummannaq, where he created a Northern Art School and cultural centre 'Tuullik'.
Pierre also loves sailing and dog sledding, and is currently preparing his next Arctic journey on his new sailing yacht.
HISTORY
Pierre was born in France in 1954, where he started his career as a ballet dancer, choreographer, performer and then autodidact painter. He worked for 22 years on Danish warships operating in Arctic wates, and became the Official Marine Painter for the Royal Danish Navy (1994 - 2016).
That's how he discovered Greenland in 1994, and eventually in 2004 met his wife Annie. One year later he settled with her in Uummannaq, in Northwest Greenland.
Performance « Slush » Katuaq Nuuk 2009, Photo credit: Jørgen Chemnitz,
Soon after Pierre became an art teacher in Uummannaq school, and developed that special connection with local communities onto creation of Greenlandic Northern Art School "Tuullik" in Uummannaq, which is today recognized as an artist residence connected to Nuuk Modern Art Museum and Nuuk Graphic School. Today, Pierre works as a painter connected to Greenlandic nature and society, and is a member of Greenlandic artist group "KIMIK".
Annie and Pierre, dogsleding in fjord. Photo courtesy: Pierre Auzias
Together with his wife, Annie Kerouedan, they created the twinning of Granville and Uummannaq. Pierre and Annie are developing relations between the two towns, and established a "Greenlandic Week" - an annual festival that takes place in Granville in November.
This amazing couple are very keen sailors that already travelled to the Arctic on yacht "Avannaq" in 2011-2013. Now they are preparing their next journey to Arctic waters with their new sailing yacht.
S/Y Avannaq enroute Granville - Uummannaq - Granville.
Photo courtesy: Pierre Auzias
After 14 years in Greenland, Annie retired from her position as the town Doctor and returned to France. Pierre then spent an agonising 9 months in limbo, waiting to find out if the Danish Authorities will grant him citizenship. In 2020 the film director Nicholas Jones dedicated the documentary film "A Greelander" to his story.
"A Greenlander" film by Nicholas Jones
GALLERY
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