Per Buk – A Free Bird

Per Buk was born in 1969 and grew up in Midtfyn. He has been a familiar face in the South Funen art scene for many years, but in 2019 he decided to pack up his things in Svendborg and move to Langeland.

Birds are a recurring theme in Per’s body of work, whether he is working in painting, printmaking, watercolour, ink drawings or ceramics.

Birds are also the focal point of the following interview, as Per is currently working on a major decorative project along Funen and the Islands’ new cycle route, the Herregårdsruten. Incidentally, the art trail follows the Herregårdsruten.

The Herregårdsruten is 660 km long and takes cyclists through some of the most beautiful landscapes on Funen, Langeland and Ærø. Along the route, you pass 123 castles and manor houses, which over time have helped to shape the landscape with its fields, forests, churches, houses, boundary marks and so on.

Per has created 10 reliefs, one for each of the 10 municipalities through which the Manor House Route passes. The reliefs all feature an outer section forming the outline of a bird riding a unicycle. This part is dark blue and represents the sea and the sky.

The bird’s belly varies from place to place and features characteristics of the municipality in which the individual bird is located.

The bird has been named ‘Fugl Føniks’ after a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

How did your artistic career begin, and why did you choose the path of art?

Ever since I was a child, I believe my art teacher at primary school planted the seed of a deep curiosity about what imagination, creativity, shapes and visual language can set in motion. I’ve been fascinated by the creative universe ever since, and back in 2006 I resigned from my job as an institution manager and took the plunge into life as a full-time artist. It’s a choice I’ve never regretted. Living as an artist feels a bit like waking up every day and setting off on a journey of discovery through time and space. Many would probably say that I have a convoluted and whimsical imagination, and it is precisely these qualities that are wonderfully stimulated in my work with art. I feel whole when I’m working on my art.

Art critic Preben Winther once wrote: “Nevertheless, in the world of art, there is a small group of stubborn, smiling beacons of light and gentle ironists amongst the dark prophets of doom. One of them is called Per Buk”.

How do you interpret that quote, and is that also how you see yourself as an artist?

In that art review, I think Preben Winther has recognised that, through my artistic expression, I try to infuse my art with a zest for life and a sense of lightness. That I don’t take myself too seriously as an artist. Some artists work with naturalism, some with provocative, religious or other approaches in their art, but I suppose I have a joyful and perhaps slightly naïve approach, where I try to capture and play with spontaneous lines and forms without overthinking the process. People should find their own stories in my works. My best works are definitely those where I’ve been so very much in the flow that I suddenly find myself standing in front of a finished painting or sculpture without quite knowing how I got there. For me, there’s something beautiful about a journey like that, where not everything is planned in advance. I like the fact that my works reflect the immediacy and the aesthetic found in that kind of spontaneity. That, in particular, means a great deal to me. I hope that my art can help tell the story that control in life can be a challenge, that one shouldn’t be afraid to let go of it, and that one should believe in the good that lies in the play of chance. This applies to life as well as to art. How many things in our lives haven’t begun with a simple coincidence?

The bird has almost become your trademark. What is it about this particular figure that fascinates you?

That’s true. The bird and other fantastical creatures have always been at the heart of my art. Whether it’s painting, drawing, mixed media, sculpture or my brand-new project involving ceramic sculptures. The bird can fly wherever it pleases. Across borders, continents and peoples. There is something fundamentally beautiful in the idea of total freedom, where there is room to settle in the landscape wherever one’s wings have carried one. To be accepted for the bird that one is, and the place where one lands. Perhaps my art is linked to my humanistic view of humanity. Perhaps I paint birds because I had a budgie called Pipper as a child. Perhaps I continue to paint birds because I most often draw inspiration from the scenic Ristinge Klint and the sand martins of the area. Perhaps, deep down, I do not know why I paint birds and fantasy figures, but I do know that it brings me a special joy.

What is the idea behind the bird on the Manor House Route?

At the start of 2022, I was commissioned by Destination Fyn to be the artist responsible for designing a sculptural landmark for the Manor House Route. There are now 10 sculptural reliefs dotted around Funen, Ærø and Langeland – one in each municipality. All are designed as a bird with a distinctive feature on its belly that tells the story of the municipality where the bird is located. In this way, the sculptural reliefs in each municipality tell the story of the region’s geographical and cultural DNA. In my artistic approach, I have therefore sought to spark the viewer’s curiosity. Hopefully, this will encourage them to explore further, including on detours from the 660-kilometre-long Herregårdsruten cycle route.