Hesselholdt & Mejlvang 31/10 28/

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1 i Hesselholdt & Mejlvang 31/10 28/

2 Charlotte Fogh Gallery is delighted to present Sofie Hesselholdt and Vibeke Mejlvang s solo exhibition Little Blonde Girl. The show constitutes the artists duo s third solo exhibition at the gallery and continues Hesselholdt & Mejlvang s ongoing work with skin colour, specifically the white/caucasian variety. The exhibition centres on skin colour as a historical, socio-cultural, and controversial phenomenon. At the same time it introduces a gender theme in which the small blonde girl is a main character and the domestic sphere is an overall frame of reference. One of the typical traits of Hesselholdt & Mejlvang s art is that they work with several different media such as ceramics, sculptures, and installation art. These different modes of artistic expression are joined up by a general scrutiny of society. However, the works offer no clear-cut messages they remain open to interpretation. This exhibition presents works created out of various forms of traditional professional and domestic crafts such as embroidery, ceramics, American wood carving, and patchwork. The works centre on familiar everyday life disrupted by something strange, eerie, and threatening. A series of embroideries take their point of departure in the romantic illustrations from the children s book Little White Squibba, which is Helen Bannerman s rewrite of her better-known Little Black Sambo, now featuring a white girl as the main character. In Hesselholdt & Mejlvang s version Squibba s clothes have been changed, becoming skin-coloured instead, and the images have been transferred to the medium of Korean machine embroidery. The exhibition also presents a zebra who wants to be white, a ceramic Tea Party with men dressed in Ku Klux Klan garb engaging in a secret conspiracy; an embroidered flag bearing a cross design, and a Finnish coat of arms sewn out of old bed linen. The exhibition mixes elements from a bygone time which may seem simple and straightforward to contemporary eyes with features from a globalised world. Sofie Hesselholdt and Vibeke Mejlvang have worked as an artists duo since 1999 and graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Since then they have maintained a prominent presence within Danish contemporary art, staging exhibitions at museums and galleries and receiving prestigious awards and accolades for their critical works, which offer wry commentaries on the values that underpin the Western world. In 2014 Hesselholdt and Mejlvang s work has primarily focused on activities in the Nordic countries, presenting large-scale solo exhibitions at Turku Art Museum in Finland, Oslo Kunstforening in Norway, and Norrtälje Konsthall in Sweden in addition to creating extensive artworks for the library of Herning. Concurrently with the exhibition at Charlotte Fogh Gallery the artists duo also contributes to a group exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Changdong, Seoul in Korea. Charlotte Fogh Gallery har den store glæde at præsentere Sofie Hesselholdt og Vibeke Mejlvangs soloudstilling Little Blonde Girl. Udstillingen er kunstnerduoens tredje soloudstilling i galleriet og lægger sig i forlængelse af Hesselholdt & Mejlvangs fortløbende arbejde med den hvide kaukasiske hudfarve. Udstillingens omdrejningspunkt er hudfarve som historisk, sociokulturelt og kontroversielt fænomen. Samtidig slås en kønstematik an med den lille blonde pige som hovedperson og den hjemlige sfære som gennemgående referenceramme. Generelt for Hesselholdt & Mejlvangs kunst er, at de arbejder i flere forskellige medier såsom keramik, skulpturer og installation. Disse kunstneriske udtryk er indbyrdes forbundet ved et generelt overordnet fokus på det samfundsundersøgende. Men værkudsagnene er ikke entydige de står derimod åbne for beskuerens fortolkning. På udstillingen vises værker udført i forskellige traditionelle håndværksformer og huslige syslerier som broderi, keramik, amerikansk træskærerarbejde og patchwork. Værkerne centrerer sig om det genkendelige hverdagsliv, der bliver forstyrret af noget fremmed og faretruende. En serie broderier tager udgangspunkt i de romantiske illustrationer fra børnebogen Lille Hvide Rikke, som er Helen Bannermans genskrivning af hendes mere kendte Lille Sorte Sambo. I Hesselholdt & Mejlvangs version er Rikkes tøj ændret, så det er hudfarvet og billederne er overført til koreansk maskinbroderi. Udstillingen byder desuden på en zebra, der ønsker at være hvid, et keramisk Tea Party med Ku Klux Klan-klædte mænd i hemmelig konspiration, et korsflag i fribroderi og et finsk våbenskjold syet i brugt sengelinned. Udstillingen blander elementer fra en svunden tid, som i dag kan synes enkel og overskuelig, med indslag fra en globaliseret verden. Sofie Hesselholdt og Vibeke Mejlvang har arbejdet som kunstnerduo siden 1999 og er uddannede fra Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi i De har siden markeret sig væsentligt i dansk samtidskunst med udstillinger på både museer og gallerier og modtaget prestigefyldte priser og anerkendelse for deres kritiske værker, der med glimt i øjet kommenterer Vestens værdigrundlag. Hesselholdt og Mejlvangs arbejde har i 2014 først og fremmest koncentreret sig i Norden med store soloudstillinger på Turku Art Museum, Finland, Oslo Kunstforening i Norge og Norrtälje Konsthall i Sverige foruden en omfattende udsmykning af Herning Hovedbibliotek. Sideløbende med udstillingen på Charlotte Fogh Gallery deltager kunstnerduoen på en gruppeudstilling på National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Changdong, Seoul i Korea. Hesselholdt og Mejlvang er repræsenteret i samlingerne Norrtälje Kommune, Sverige, SKMU Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand, Norge, Københavns Kommune, Aarhus kommune, Designmuseum Danmark, Ny Carlsbergfondet og Statens Kunstfond. Hesselholdt and Mejlvang are featured in the collections owned by Norrtälje Kommune, Sweden; SKMU Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand, Norway; The City of Copenhagen; the Municipality of Aarhus; Designmuseum Danmark, The Ny Carlsberg Foundation, and the Danish Arts Foundation.

3 Tea party 2014 H 22 cm Stoneware DKK / EUR Blown Off Pain salad Bowl 2014 H 18 cm Stoneware DKK EUR

4 The Nasty Crew / Hooded Moomins, x 23x20 cm. Ceramics. Pris: Teacup Face 2014 H 5 cm Stoneware DKK / 800 EUR

5 Happy Negro 2014 H 23 cm Stoneware DKK / EUR Narrow Flags Vase 2014 H 35 cm Stoneware DKK / EUR

6 Winner s Trophy 2014 H 21 cm Stoneware DKK / EUR Exhibition view

7 Powder Mountain x 18 cm Cheese Dome, Powder DKK / 805 EUR Nightmare Knight x 54 cm Pillowcase, embroidery, framed DKK / EUR

8 Skin Colored Cross Flag ,5 x 24,5 cm Embroidery, framed DKK / EUR Skin Colored Swastika ,5 x 24,5 cm Embroidery, framed DKK / EUR

9 Desert Territory x 9 cm Wood, paint, chain DKK / 805 EUR The Way the Wind Blows x 9 cm Wood, paint, chain DKK / 805 EUR

10 Heraldic Plate 2014 Ø 32 cm Stoneware DKK / EUR Shades of skin / Coat of arms 2014 Ø 200 cm Old bedding, curtain and cloths, dyed DKK / EUR

11 Little blond girl says Welcome 2014 Ed. of AP. 22,5 x 23,5 cm. Embroidery, framed DKK 670 EUR Little Blond Girl meets the Tiger 2014 Ed. of AP. 22,5 x 23,5 cm. Embroidery, framed DKK 670 EUR

12 Little Blond Girl meets the Alligator 2014 Ed. of AP. 22,5 x 23,5 cm. Embroidery, framed DKK 670 EUR Little Blonde Girl on the Cliff 2014 Ed. of AP. 22,5 x 23,5 cm. Embroidery, framed DKK 670 EUR

13 C.V. Sofie Hesselholdt (1974) Vibeke Mejlvang (1976) Lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. Artist group initiated in MFA, the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts 2005 Bergen National Academy og the Arts, Norway The Funen Academy of Fine Arts Separate exhibitions (selected) Little Blonde Girl, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, DK -Pomp and Ceremony - Shades of Skin, Turku Art Museum, Turku, Finland -Hunger for Aggression, Oslo Kunstforening, Oslo, Norway -Armed Response, Norrtälje Konsthall, Norrtälje, Sweden New Waves in the Hood, Das Kunstbüro, Aarhus, DK -Hunger for Aggression, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, DK The Dark Passenger, SKMU Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand, Norway Mörkersyn, Växjö Konsthall, Växjö, Sweden. (With Svend-Allan Sørensen) Daily Life in the Eye of the Hurricane, FB69 Galerie Kolja Steinrötter, Münster, Germany -The Perfect Storm, V1 Gallery, Cph. DK -Tornado Nearby, Charlotte Fogh Gallery at Preview Berlin, Germany -Større Horisonter i Nabolaget, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, DK -Udflugt i Bælgravende mørke, Galleri 21, Malmo, Sweden Krydstogt på Syndfloden, Fung Sway, Copenhagen, DK Aryan Zebra x 196 cm Zebra skin, paint DKK / EUR When the Wind Blows, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, DK Det er 27 grader i skyggen og Trust me, I wasn t expecting our kiss, the Apistemple in Frederiksberg Garden, Copenhagen. DK (With Nanna Debois Buhl) Indblik: Lykken kan læres, bunker in The Ørsteds Park, Copenhagen, DK

14 . Group exhibitions (selected) Silent Review, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, MMCA Residency Changdong, Seoul, Korea -Skulpturi i museumsbygningen, Museumsbygningen, Copenhagen, DK -Drømmeland, KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, DK -Krähen folgen uns, FB69 Galerie Kolja Steinrötter, Münster, Germany ZEIGEN - an audiotour through Copenhagen, NIKOLAJ Kunsthal, Copenhagen, DK -The Oracle Show, The Wand, Berlin, Germany -Common Tales, Skånes Konstförening, Malmo, Sweden / An artist collects art, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Øvre Eiker,NO -Kill two Birds With one Stone, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, DK V1 - X - Tonight We Won t Be Bored, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, DK -The End of the World, FB69 Galerie Kolja Steinrötter, Münster, Garmany -Unfinished Journeys, Copenhagen Art Festival, Gl. Strand, Copenhagen, DK -Forskel på folk, KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, Aalborg, DK -Not in my backyard, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, DK -I m like a bird, Johannes Larsen Museum, Kerteminde, DK -Huset i Skoven, Skovhuset ved Søndersø, Værløse, DK ENTER, Kunsthallen Brandts, Odense, DK -I m like a bird, Skovgaard Museum, Viborg, DK -WHAT S HE BUILDING IN THERE?, FUSE Gallery, NYC, USA -Status - Somewhere Between Position and Condition, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, DK Socle du Monde, HEART - Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Herning, DK -Party and Lost, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, DK -Nordic Art Triennial, Eskilstuna Art Museum, Eskilstuna, Sweden Brede Værk - Museum for Industrial culture, Danish National Museum, Brede, DK (permanent exhibition) The Destruction of Atlantis, Union Gallery, London, UK -Socle du Monde, HEART - Herning Museum of Modern Art, DK -Pastiche, Sølyst Castle, Jyderup, DK -Botanisk forvandling, Vejle Artmuseum, DK -Kritisk form, Skulpturi.dk, Copenhagen, DK -EYESORE, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, DK Match Race, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, DK -WHEN HUMOUR BECOMES CRITICAL, Big Family Business, Istanbul, Turkey -SPEAK UP, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, DK -Homecoming, Vendsyssel Museum of Art, Hjørring, DK How about her side of the story?, Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, DK -There Is A U in Us, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, DK -700 % PLUS, Copenhagen Kunsthal, Copenhagen, DK -Parade, art parade in the streets of Copenhagen, DK -EXIT06, Graduate Show, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Kunstforeningen Gl. Strand, Copenhagen, DK -Arbejde Arbejde Arbejde, Overgaden Institute of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, DK -Add X to (n), Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde, DK Experiment, Galerie Mikael Andersen, Copenhagen, DK Bagværk med glasur keramik i Vejen, Vejen Art Museum, DK -Overblik historier om kunsten og den nye by, Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde / public space of Trekroner, DK -THE PROJECT, Tallinn Arthall, Estonia / The Academy of Latvia s Exhibition Hall, Latvia -Det Hvide Guld, Royal Copenhagen / Marienlyst Castle, Elsinore, DK Running in the Family, i-n-k Institute for Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, DK Nye Nyheder, the Neon Light Newspaper, Copenhagen Town Hall Square, DK Art fairs Art Herning 13, The Armory Show 12, Art Herning 12, Art Copenhagen 11, Art Herning 11, Art Copenhagen 10, SWAB Barcelona 10, Preview Berlin 09, Art Copenhagen 09, Volta Basel 09, Art Brussels 09, Volta NY 08, Art Copenhagen 08, Art Herning 08, Volta Basel 07, Art Copenhagen 07

15 Public art commissions 2014 Public commission for Herning Main Library, Herning, DK 2014 Flying Carpet, ceramic sculpture for Ventemøllegården Nursery, Soroe, DK 2007 Hav / Sea, sculpture for Hansted Monastery, Horsens, DK 2006 Annie, sculpture for the central square at Østerhøj, DK 2005 Decoration of Højager School, Ballerup, DK Collections Norrtälje Municipality, Sweden Copenhagen Municipality, DK Aarhus Municipality, DK SKMU Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Kristiansand, Norway Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen, DK New Carlsberg Foundation, Copenhagen, DK The Danish Arts Foundation, DK DBC, Ballerup, DK Saxo Collection, Copenhagen, DK Grants and residencies 2014 Beckett Foundation grant 2014 Recidency program, National Art Studio, South Korea 2014 The Danish-Finnish Cultural Foundation 2014 Inger and Aage Nielsens grant 2011 The Danish Arts Foundation stipend 2010 Ole Haslund s Artist Foundation 2009 Danish Tennis Foundation and Residency Program, Bornholm, Denmark 2008 Award for Barrikade, The Danish Arts Foundation 2004 Inger Goldmanns Foundation Charlotte Fogh Gallery Mejlgade 18B 8000 Arhus C Denmark cf@charlottefogh.dk Opening hours Tuesday Friday Saturday And by appointment Coming up November 2014: Group show, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, MMCA Residency Changdong, Seoul, KoreaJanuary 2015: Homeland Security (solo show), Platform, Belfast, Northern Ireland March 2015: Flesh Tint Project (double solo show), Kunsthal Nord + KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg, Denmark May 2015: NOT AT HOME - MED NOMADISK VÆSKE I HOVEDET, Viborg Kunsthal, Viborg, Denmark