‘The Lake’ marks Henrik Godsk’s third solo exhibition with Vigo Gallery. The title refers to a particular lake situated deep within a large forest in northern Denmark, close to the artist’s home and studio. A century ago, eight of Denmark’s largest travelling families lived side by side around this lake in their wagons. For these travellers, the lake functioned as a temporary refuge – a place to rest between tours with their fairs and circuses.
The Hertzberg family, to which Godsk belongs, occupied a spot near the upper edge of the lake. When they first settled there, his great-great-grandfather planted fruit trees, many of which still stand today. The forest area surrounding the lake is known as ‘The Lake Bog’ or ‘Sømosen’ in Danish.
A seventh-generation traveller, Godsk was raised within his family’s travelling fair. He began painting at the age of seven, apprenticing under his grandfather and father while restoring fairground façades. The visual language of the fair, along with his cultural heritage, continues to shape his artistic practice.
In this new body of work, Godsk situates his recognizable figures within both natural and interior settings, often framed by windows that open onto lakes and lush vegetation. Each piece draws on his family’s history and the lake where the Hertzberg family and other travelling communities once resided. He frequently returns to the site, finding inspiration in its solitude and quiet atmosphere.
‘In the mid-1840s, the transcendentalist writer and thinker Henry David Thoreau chose to live by a lake in the forest, seeking meaning in the tranquillity of nature. There, he discovered his Walden, a sanctuary for reflection. Around the same time, travellers in Denmark found their own sense of meaning by a lake in a northern forest… our Walden.’ – HG, 2026