Pærdís

Pærdís (from the Persian word paerdis, meaning “enclosure,” which gave rise to the concept of “paradise”) explores the tension between nature and civilization. The term itself suggests an unstable balance between wild nature and humanity’s impulse to control it.

This painting/installation project delves into the problematic relationship humans have with the idea of paradise, understood as a human-made, enclosed garden. The elements that compose this garden symbolize the separation between beauty and wildness, between the safe and the untamed.

Like a garden, the installation defines and divides space, creating a realm that reflects how paradise is used to distinguish order from chaos. The comparison between paradise and the domestic garden reveals how humanity continues to build barriers—biblical walls become today’s fences. After the mythical expulsion from Eden, humans have endlessly sought to recreate that lost ideal, regaining control by including or excluding elements within the enclosure.

This ongoing conflict between humans and nature has long been reflected in art, often through idealized landscapes that capture only fragments of reality. In my own painting, the motif of the window serves as a metaphorical opening into this fragmented complexity.

Pærdís thus aims to challenge simplistic notions of paradise and instead open up its layered meanings—embracing its contradictions, tensions, and multiplicity.