Especially for Explore The North festival, realist painter Gerard Boersma (1976, Harlingen) investigated the northern temperament. In an imaginary museum, he depicted people studying paintings portraying typical elements of the Frisian mentality. This includes being in awe of big cities, believing climbing the social ladder is impossible, stubbornness, and finally a sober Frisian drunk at the bar. The people in the works are studying all of this. The paintings are acclaiming and humoristic, yet also certainly critical. The paintings featured on the festival website and were also published in a special newspaper section in collaboration with the Leeuwarder Courant newspaper. The festival exhibition was held in the Grote Kerk.
