i am still alive
Text engraved on found flint. The rust coloured element is an iron-rich fossil.
19 x 26 x 14 cm, 2023.
Bjergtaget
Solo exhibition at Bladr, Copenhagen, 2023
In the Western view of nature, the mineral kingdom is seen as the lowest: Stones neither bloom nor birth, and are thought to be the thing most alien to us. But as queer individuals, they have traveled far to become who they are today. In the exhibition Bjertaget the stones are used as both material, motif and metaphor in an investigation of gender, belonging and grief. The stones are both permanent and in flux – they go from liquid to solid, crystallize and transform through time, pressure and erosion.
These developments resonate with the processes that trans people go through—which sometimes unfold with tectonic slowness, sometimes with volcanic force. The exhibition features photo of giant stones in Denmark, which are connected to folklore from pre-Christian times. The stones were believed to bring good luck and ward off misfortune if one respected their peace or sacrificed to them. Theologian Mads Lidegaard writes: "Even in my childhood, the elders taught us that the stones were alive like everything else, that they grew in the ground. Many also believed that they had offspring: All the small stones that lay around the big ones."
These old beliefs originate from a time when the role of the stones in the earth's system was recognized. In the Stone Age, stones were sacred and flint was a valuable material. It was so sought after by flint smiths, that good pieces were few and far between on the beaches. Today flint is a by-product in the extraction of lime and is largely considered worthless. In a parallel movement, gender norms have shifted. There is a resonance between the declining status of the stones and the erasure of trans people, who used to have important roles in many pre-Christian societies.
Photo by Jenny Sundby
Dit navn
Ink drawing on photo print.
Hand painted frame.
53 x 63 cm, 2023.
Den sovende
Ink drawing on photo print.
Hand painted frame.
53 x 63 cm, 2023.
Griberen
Ink drawing on photo print.
Hand painted frame.
53 x 63 cm, 2023.
for at indgå i nye sammenhænge
Bronze, flint, car tire, grass
62 x 62 x 150 cm, 2023.
cut my hair
Braided grass
2023
The handwriting in the work reads: "der er en grammatisk logik som ophører når jeg står på bjerget - subjektet og objektet bytter plads", which translates to: "there is a grammatical logic which ceases when I'm standing on the mountain - the subject and the object switch places". The title of the work means "the catcher".
The writing on the work reads: "Stadig varme forlader bogstaverne dit navn / for at indgå i nye sammenhænge / jeg finder dem alle steder" which translates to: "Still warm the letters leave your name / to be part of new constellations / I find them everywhere". The title of the work means "your name".
The writing on the work reads: "jeg er et tungt og langsomt menneske" which translates to "I am a heavy and slow person". The title of the work means "the sleeper".
