INTERVIEWS <<<

[20240315]

GROUP THERAPY with works by LOUKA ANARGYROS, BENEDIKTE BJERRE, BURN OUT (JES BRINCH & HENRIK PLENGE JAKOBSEN), ISMAR ČIRKINAGIĆ, STINE DEJA, DITTE EJLERSKOV, MARTIN BRANDT HANSEN, MARIE KØLBÆK IVERSEN, SOPHIA KALKAU, SIMONE AABERG KÆRN, PETER LAND, MARIE MUNK, RASMUS MYRUP, TABITA REZAIRE, LUNA SCALES, TORA SCHULTZ, JAKOB KUDSK STEENSEN and SUPERFLEX at ARKEN curated by JENNY LUND [from 20240229 to 20240728]

[Photos: David Stjernholm]

An inflatable flock of chickens and a burned-down preschool. An outboard motor as a national symbol of Greenland. In the exhibition Group Therapy — New Contemporary Art at ARKEN, contemporary art unfolds in many forms. Sharp, insightful, caring, dynamic and humorous - the artists explore our era and invite us to reflect on our place in the world. The exhibition's works have recently been added to the museum's permanent collection, and they are presented in an exhibition that promotes conversations about conflict, emotions, hope and healing.

In her installation, Lisa's Chickens (Farm Life), Benedikte Bjerre has given a large flock of helium hens the 50 most popular girl names in Denmark right now, raising playful questions about our market-driven and gendered world. Cliché-filled ideas about gender are also challenged by Tora Schultz, who, with her Prada stilettos, inspired by the poster for the Hollywood film The Devil Wears Prada, humorously criticises the sex symbols of the fashion industry and the demeaning propensity of our society to compare powerful women to the devil. Martin Brandt Hansen punches a hole in the stereotypical notion of national identity with works such as Uummat (heart in Greenlandic) in which he transforms a Honda engine — a global symbol of strength, speed and power — into an elegant and humorous monument to today's Greenland.

The contemporary art and new works in ARKEN's permanent collection illuminate global inequalities through personal narratives, encouraging us to imagine a different world. With political courage and poetic force, the exhibition's artists tackle themes such as climate crisis, identity, gender, sexuality, community and belonging, and explore how ideas like sustainability, culture and economics intertwine in new ways.

The world is in crisis – this is the reality currently unfolding in the lives of people. Living in a time of climate challenge and war can be tough — both for individuals and for communities. In such times, art is an important shared space for conversation and growth. That's why ARKEN invites you to explore art's ability to communicate agendas and start conversations and dialogues when the museum opens its exhibition on 29 February featuring new acquisitions from the Danish contemporary art scene.

[Text: Jenny Lund / ARKEN]

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