| Jóannes Lamhauge | |
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Jóannes Lamhauge as Dr. Jekyll in Jekyll & Hyde the Musical 2009. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jóannes Brynolfsson Lamhauge |
| Born | December 25, 1985 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, painter, actor, writer, graphic designer, film director |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Jóannes Brynolfsson Lamhauge (born 25 December 1985) is a Faroese painter, writer, graphic designer, actor, film director and singer/songwriter. Jóannes is best known as a painter and singer, and has in recent years starred in numerous musical productions, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.[1] Piaf, Ronja Røverdatter,[2] and Lort í Býin. Jóannes is the designer and co-founder of the non-profit charity Saving Penguins Foundation. Jóannes is currently living in Canterbury, United Kingdom.
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Jóannes grew up in the village of Glyvrar on the Island of Eysturoy, and moved to the Faroese capital of Tórshavn in 2000. His father, Andreas Brynolf Lamhauge, is a middle school teacher, cabinetmaker and craftsman, and his mother is Jacoba Funding is also a middle school teacher. Jóannes has two older sisters; Bjalla Lamhauge and Elin Funding Lamhauge. Jóannes' paternal grandfather, Meinhard Lamhauge, was also a locally known stage actor in Tórshavn.
Jóannes's highly expressive naturalistic painting style has been described by art critic Inger Smærup Sørensen in her book on notable contemporary Faroese artists "Livandi List" (2008) as dark and discomforting, and even overtly tragic. However, the compositions are not without a touch of humor, in reference to French philosopher George Bataille's notion of "Beyond Seriousness" as it is "deliberately made to be too tragic to laugh about, and too farcical to cry about".[3] The paintings, which almost always depict people in different situations, are "portrayals of the decline of man and the decadence of the human existence".[4] Nationalism, religiosity and identity are also central themes in Jóannes' art. Jóannes has admitted to be influenced by painters such as British painter Lucian Freud, Danish painter Michael Kvium, and Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum.
In summer 2007, along with fellow artist Heiðrik á Heygum, Jóannes curated and organized the largest Faroese annual art exhibit (Ólavsøkuframsýningin) at the Faroese national art Museum, which was titled "Slóarblóð".[5] The exhibit was widely covered in the Faroese and the Danish media as it displayed new trends in Faroese art that stand in stark contrast to what has become known as traditional Faroese expressionism. The exhibit was received by critics to be a critical and important statement that "the Faroese art scene needed new blood".[6] To illustrate this, the grand gallery of the National art Museum(Listasavn Føroya) had been painted blood red for the event. Consequently, Jóannes became a board member of the Faroese Fine-arts Association(Listafelag Føroya) from 2007-2010.[7] Jóannes has also directed a number of art house short films. In 2007 he was chosen to represent Faroe Islands on the Nordic Youth Film Festival (NUFF) in Tromsø, Norway for his short film "The Hole".[8][9]
At the age of 18 Jóannes starred as Joseph in a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,[10] a performance that would propel him to fame in the Faroese community, and consequently cement him as a reputable actor and singer. By the time the musical was discontinued, it had set a new record for being the most viewed fixed stage show of the Faroe Islands in history. Since his musical debut in 2004, Jóannes has released several solo recordings, most of which are live concerto recordings by royalty of Kringvarp Føroya, the Faroese national broadcasting station, but among his most successful studio releases are the singles, "Púra Vekk" 2008,[11] and "HF-sangurin" 2009.[12]
In 2006 Jóannes was awarded the title of "Vocalist of the Year"[13] in the Faroese talent show Ársins Songrødd, a title which had previously been held by Faroese vocalists, such as Eivør Pálsdóttir and Guðrun Sólja Jacobsen.
Jóannes is a natural wide range baritone and frequently performs parts written for both tenors and basses.
Jóannes has since 2006 worked as an international freelance art director and consultant, collaborating internationally with photographers and entrepreneurs. From 2008-2010 Jóannes assumed the position lead designer for Scandinavian lifestyle brand Hans F Hansen, in which he also assumed creative control of the graphic identity and marketing of sub brands such as BYB and the non-profit charity Saving Penguins Foundation. As a graphic designer, Jóannes has also designed a range of Faroese postage stamps[14][15] as well as he has illustrated educational materials for the Faroese School system.[16] In 2011 Jóannes graduated with honours from the University of Kent as bachelor of Religious Studies.