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[September
25th 2002]
Interview and exhibition
Brøl - Interview with Thorgej Steen Hansen
In September 2002 67 younger Danish artists
exhibited in the Copenhagen Zoo. The initiative came from Thorgej
Steen Hansen and Sophus Ejler Jepsen, both student at
the academy of fine arts in Copenhagen. Kopenhagen's Kristine
Ploug asked Thorgej Steen Hansen a few questions about
the project. Further down this page you will find loads of photos
from the exhibition.
Brøl
August 31 th - September 30th 2002
Copenhagen Zoo
79, Sdr. Fasanvej
2000 Frederiksberg
Open: Mon-Fri: 9 am- 6 pm and Sat-Sun: 9am - 5 pm
Contributing artists: Kristoffer
Akselbo, Ivan Andersen & Torben Ribe, Lone Bank, Christina Malbek
& Tanja Rau, Rikke Benborg & Fie Norsker, Anders Bockelie, Anders
Bonnesen, Espen Brandt-Møller, Sonja Lillebæk Christensen & Christian
Schmidt-Rasmussen, Christian Finne, Michael Boelt Fischer & Jacob
Hunosøe, Simon Grimm & Eske Kath, Tarje Gullaksen & Marius Engh,
Michael Norre Hansen, Thorgej Steen Hansen, Lars Heiberg, Christian
Hillesø & Johan Tirén, Ulla Hvejsel & Julie Sinding, Jens Hultquist,
Flemming Jarle, Jesper Just, Sophus Ejler Jepsen, Charlotte B. Johansen,
Elsebeth Jørgensen, Keep It Simple, Tine Maria Koefoed, Pablo Henrik
Llambias, Ole Lorin, Tomas Lagermand Lundme, Lisbeth Bank Nielsen,
Olof Olsson, Jon Paludan, Mia Joo Rosasco & Dahn Vo, Jakob Rød,
Daniel Salomon, Annesofie Sandal, Troels Sandegård, Morten Schelde,
Jon Stahn, Andreas Schulenburg, Sofie Thorsen, Christian Vind, Bettina
Camilla Vestergaard, Maria Werger, Jesper Aabille
'Selvsving' in the Zoo: Ivan Andersen, Thorbjørn
Andersen, Kristina Ask, Zven Balslev, Trine Boesen, Mikkel Engelbredt,
Michael Boelt Fischer, Christina Hamre, Thorgej Steen Hansen, Lars
Heiberg, Katrine Malinovsky, Daniel Milan, Pind, Martin Rauff, Torben
Ribe, Stefan Rotvit, Andreas Schulenburg, Majken Schultz, Jon Stahn,
Maria Torp and Melou Vanggaard.
You have worked with site-specific art before (The exhibition
'På Hovedet' at the Central Library in Copenhagen i 2001. Ed.) What
is special about it?
I like working with site-specific art, because the site chosen or
given to you works as a very concrete frame for the artwork, a frame
that you have to work within. Obviously you have to work with the
location as well when you exhibit in a more traditional exhibition
space such as a gallery. The gallery then at best turns into a neutral
ground, where you can tell, describe, illustrate and promote anything
you like. The site-specific art is different because the location,
e.g. a public space, and the function of the locations is an obvious
part of the exhibition space. The work of art can work with or against
this function, And since the context is obviously present the encounter
between art and viewer can become quite intense. In other words
the work of art becomes more relevant than if it was presented to
you on neutral grounds. The site-specific art also reaches a lot
people than would not go to galleries or museums. So that way you
can - as an artist - convey you message to a wider and more representative
audience. Which is of cause quite important if you as an artist
feel you have a message, say about the political situation in Denmark.
How did you get the idea about using the ZOO of all places. And
what was their reaction to having contemporary art in the ZOO?
The idea per se came at one of the meetings that Sophus (Ejler Jepsen
ed.) and I had with the contributing artists in our exhibition project
at the Central Library. We had a number of meetings where we together
with the invited artists discussed the library as a location for
site-specific art. On one of the meetings we ended up talking about
what other places would work for an exhibition and one of the artists
more or less joking mentioned the ZOO. And after we thought about
it for a while, everybody decided that it was a pretty good idea.
In some ways the ZOO is like the library. If you unwrap the library
the whole World is represented, in knowledge as well as in photos.
IN the Zoo there is animals from all over the World. Also, animals
have been an often-used object for arts and at all time man has
used animals as a reflection. But the ZOO is also a place with a
lot of people coming though, so the art would get a very wide audience
and one of the aims of both exhibitions has been to promote the
interest for Danish contemporary art. Not only the site-specific
art, but all of it.
ZOO's objective has mainly been to reach a wider audience, so in
that respect we have had a mutual interest. But ZOO has also been
very interested in getting inspired by the art. Their reactions
to the art have been mixed. They find some of the works quite infantile,
to use their expression. But in general they found it very interesting
to follow - and be part of - the artistic process from idea to realization.
A lot of them actually participated in the process. E.g. the animal
care takers was involved in figuring out what was possible and what
wasn't for those of the artworks that were very close to the animals.
It is my overall impression, that most of the people at the ZOO
found the exhibition a breath of fresh air to the daily life the
ZOO. So I believe I can say, that it has been a positive experience
for everybody involved.
On what basis did you pick the contributing artists?
The artists were chosen on the following basis:
1: Different artistic forms should be represented at the exhibitions.
2: The artists should have a form language that appeals to the concept
of the exhibition: the making of site-specific art in a dialogue
with the location's function architecture, or both
3: In relation to 2 the artists should have shown tendencies towards
creating works of arts that exceeds the traditional categorical
boundaries, or he/she should have shown examples of ability to create
works that within the traditional boundaries but has a untraditional
way of doing it.
Brøl poster at the Zoo
 
Brøl-information at thei Zoo-shop
 
 
Brøl-information
 
(left) Anders Bockelie:
Grønt fjell på hjul. (right)
Anders Bonnesen: Stander
  
Andreas Schulenburg: The
Gibbons fuck at 11.30
 
Anne Sofie Sandal: Without
title
 
Bank/Malbek/Rau:
Cover
 
Betina Camilla Vestergaard: Elefbeat
((left) videostill))
Anders Bonnesen: Stander
 
Daniel Salomon: When Snails make love
(poster and video installation)
  
Elsebeth Jørgensen:
Library for Zoological Readers Union
 
Espen Brandt-Møller: Excalibur
Flemming Jarle: Penguin
slide
  
Ivan Andersen & Torben Ribe: Monolith
tm* (* we are not responsible for any of it)
 
Jakob Rød: Gibbon
Kung Fu (detail)
 
Jens Hultquist: Without title
 
Jesper Aabille: Bridge over puddle
(map excerpt + detail)
 
Jesper Just: Without title (video installation)
 
Jon Palludan: Ornitolog L.P. Johansson
(catalogue page + video installation)
 
Jon Stahn: Skulls (paintings and sculptures
in marble)
 
Keep it Simple: Keep it Simple #4 (video
still og installation detail)
 
Kristoffer Akselbo: I
remember that I travelled in to the jungle but which one I don't
remember (catalogue page + video installation)
  
 
Lars Heiberg: Lemming (installation
detail, video still, installation detail - painting, installation
detail - painting + print)
 
Lisbeth Bank Nielsen:
Without title (installation). Lisbeth Bank Nielsen (installation)
and Michael Norre Hansen: This leaping spider is about
to snap... (painting)
Mia Jo Rosasco and Danh Vo: Not
the Royal Elephants
 
Michael Boelt Fischer and Jakob Hunosøe:
Stomp
 
Michael Norre Hansen: Denne
springedderkop skal lige til at snappe... og uden titel
  
Ole Lorin: The Incredible Hulk
Olof Olsson: Tent
 
Pablo Henrik Llambias:
The Garden ((left) photo from the leaflet The Garden)
Rikke Benborg og Fie Norsker: Without Title
(videostill)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Selvsving at the Zoo
 
Simon Grimm and Eske Kath: Settlement
(detail + installation)
Sofie Thorsen: Afrika; Søndermarken
- 6 postcards (catalogue page)
 
Christian Schmidt Rasmussen and Sonja Lillebæk
Christensen: Who wants to see more fuck lions? (installation
detail)
Sophus Ejler Jepsen: Billedvæsnet
(installation and detail)
Marius Engh and Tarje Gullaksen: Zoolidarity
(work drawing)
  
 
Thorgej Steen Hansen: Marsvinenes Fristad
(poster, installation detail, installation)
Troels Sandegård: The Art Pig
(installation detail)
 
Ulla Hvejsel and
Julie Sinding: Dyr & Dansk
(Animal/Expensive & Danish)
  
Morten Schelde: Without title (text and drawing)
  
Christian Finne: Without title (drawings)
 
Rikke Benborg and
Fie Norsker: Without title (video installation)
 
Tina Maria Koefoed: Birds in Nature (photo)
 
 
Maria Werger: Hords
 
Charlotte B. Johansen: Picnic in four parts
More…
Julie
Damgaard's article about BRØL on DR/kultur
Interview with Thorgej Steen Hansen and Sophus Ejler Jepsen
about the exhibition På Hovedet, October 2001
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