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Hesselholdt & Mejlvang

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Hesselholdt & Mejlvang
Vibeke Mejlvang selecting works at the Danish Art Workshops. Photo by Davide Ronco.
Born
Sofie Hesselholdt and Vibeke Mejlvang

21 April 1974, Copenhagen, Denmark (Sofie) and 24 August 1976, Hjørring, Denmark (Vibeke)
NationalityDanish
EducationRoyal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
Websitehttps://www.hesselholdt-mejlvang.dk/

Sofie Hesselholdt (born 21 April 1974) and Vibeke Mejlvang (born 24 August 1976) are a collaborative duo of visual artists who live and work in Copenhagen. They started collaborating in late 1999 and work with performance art and site-specific installations in public spaces addressing social and political topics such as National Identity and Eurocentrism.

Early life and education

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Sofie Hesselholdt was born in 1974 in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 1998 she received a BA in Art History from the University of Copenhagen. In 1999 she started studying Fine Arts in the sculpture department under Lars Bent Petersen at the Funen Art Academy[1] and in 2000 she got accepted at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. There, she started a six years long degree with professors Yvette Brackman, Ann Lislegaard and the last year Henrik B. Andersen, who was her MA thesis supervisor.[2]

Vibeke Mejlvang was born in 1976 in Hjørring, Denmark. Like Sofie Hesselholdt, she started studying in the sculpture departmentat the Funen Art Academy under Lars Bent Petersen, and in 2001 she started at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. During her five years of study, she had Lone Høyer Hansen, Yvette Brackman and Henrik B. Andersen as professors, and Henrik B. Andersen as MA thesis supervisor.

The two artists met during their studies in 1999 at the Funen Art Academy in Odense and began working together the same year with their first show "Go Construct" at DFKU, the Funen Art Academy's exhibition venue. They collaborated on many projects during their study years and graduated together.

Work and themes

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Since the beginning of their collaborative practice, Hesselholdt & Mejlvang have worked in a variety of media to create their distinctive expressions, using both classical expression such as sculpture, ceramics, photography, installation, and more contemporary approaches with large scenographic arrangements and performance art.[3]

After their first show during their study, the duo worked with produced and found objects placed together in subtle arrangements (Krydstogt på Syndfloden Press Release), stuffed animals - often camouflaged - and taking up political and societal topics such as consumerism and immigration. During this period, they created their first wooden fence piece, which, together with the stuffed animals and flags, would later become one of their recognisable modes of expression.

The Black Flag

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In 2008, they began working with flags, more precisely a black flag. The latter, combined with a black fence and a hidden rose garden, formed the installation "Barrikade" which was awarded a prize by the Danish Arts Foundation.[4] Further exhibitions have included, once again, stuffed animals and found objects such as fences/barriers, both indoor and outdoor types. Mørkemænd / Dark Men, a project for the biennial Socle du Monde in Herning, brought a lot of attention to their practice and would later be acquired by the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art.[5]

Political aesthetic

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With The Perfect Storm[6] in 2009, they unleashed a big exhibition featuring a whole new body of works, comprising ceramic, burned (black) flags, stuffed painted camouflage birds, crocodiles and other animals, and miniature recreations of spaces. A broken dystopian environment where Hesselholdt & Mejlvang reflected on political, cultural, and societal issues. The same year, they exhibited in Germany, Sweden and Denmark. In the next years they keep working with fences, and in 2010 they took part in the exhibition Party and Lost at Den Frie Udstilling. Party and Lost was a group of groups formed in 2009 by four artist groups: Randi & Katrine, Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, Bank & Rau, and the remains of Ingen Frygt. The group of groups set out to explore the nature of community as a source of both power and loss of self.[7]

During the years 2011–2013, they began working with the colours red and white in their installations, later adding black. Flags, fences and animals were still a signature in their practice, now joined by carpets, 1:1 recreations of spaces and more ceramic handmade objects. Nationalism, racism and symbolism were at the core of their message and practice.

Shades of skin

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From 2014 to 2019, they addressed western values, ethnicity, looks, religion, and socio-political commitments of modern life, working with flags, drapes and stuffed animals. Pomp and Ceremony - Shades of Skin (the name of their first solo exhibition in Finland) was the core of their production of works.

Performance

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From 2017 onwards, performance has become an integral part of their practice. With embroidery and collaborative artworks, they created big installations and performances in Palermo during Manifesta 12, and in Thorvaldsens Museum in Copenhagen. The scale of their work has increased, bringing into play big embroidery works, balloon installations, big ceramic objects and public performances.

In the later years they make also use of different media, spacing from newspapers to the digital world engaging more actively in debates and discussions, addressing topics such as language, ethnicity, religion, cultural expression and political structures.

Projects and exhibitions (selected)

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Solo exhibitions

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2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2009

2007

  • "Krydstogt på Syndfloden", Fung Sway, Copenhagen, Denmark

2006

  • "When the Wind Blows", Charlotte Fogh Gallery, Aarhus, Denmark

2001

  • "Det er 27 grader i skyggen og Trust me, I wasn’t expecting our kiss, the Apistemple (With Nanna Debois Buhl) in Frederiksberg Garden, Copenhagen. Denmark

2000

  • "Indblik: Lykken kan læres", bunker in The Ørsteds Park, Copenhagen, Denmark

Group exhibitions

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2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

  • "Other Forms of Relations", National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Residency Changdong, Seoul, Korea
  • "Silent Review", National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Residency Changdong, Seoul, Korea[18]
  • "Drømmeland", KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, Denmark

2013

2012

  • "Unfinished Journeys" Archived 2021-05-12 at the Wayback Machine, Copenhagen Art Festival, Gl. Strand, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • "I’m like a bird", Johannes Larsen Museum, Kerteminde, Denmark
  • "Huset i Skoven", Skovhuset ved Søndersø, Værløse, Denmark

2011

  • "ENTER", Kunsthallen Brandts, Odense, Denmark
  • "I’m like a bird", Skovgaard Museum, Viborg, Denmark
  • "WHAT’S HE BUILDING IN THERE?", FUSE Gallery, NYC, USA

2010

  • "Socle du Monde", HEART - Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Herning, Denmark
  • "Party and Lost", Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • "Nordic Art Triennial", Eskilstuna Art Museum, Eskilstuna, Sweden

2009

  • "Brede Værk" - Museum for Industrial culture, Danish National Museum, Brede, Denmark (permanent exhibition)

2008

  • "The Destruction of Atlantis", Union Gallery, London, United Kingdom
  • "Socle du Monde", HEART - Herning Museum of Modern Art, Denmark
  • "Pastiche", Sølyst Castle, Jyderup, Denmark
  • "Botanisk forvandling", Vejle Artmuseum, Denmark
  • "Kritisk form", Skulpturi.dk, Copenhagen, Denmark[19]

2007

  • "Match Race", Kunsten – Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, Denmark[20]
  • "WHEN HUMOUR BECOMES CRITICAL", Big Family Business, Istanbul, Turkey
  • "SPEAK UP", Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • "Homecoming", Vendsyssel Museum of Art, Hjørring, Denmark

2006

  • "Corner 2006", Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen
  • "EXIT06", Graduate Show, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Kunstforeningen Gl. Strand, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • "Arbejde Arbejde Arbejde", Overgaden – Institute of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • "Add X to (n)", Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde, Denmark

2003

  • "Bagværk med glasur – keramik i Vejen", Vejen Art Museum, Denmark
  • "Overblik – historier om kunsten og den nye by", Museum of Contemporary Art, Roskilde / public space of Trekroner, Denmark
  • "THE PROJECT", Tallinn Arthall, Estonia / The Academy of Latvia's Exhibition Hall, Latvia
  • "Det Hvide Guld", Royal Copenhagen / Marienlyst Castle, Elsinore, Denmark

Performances

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2020

2019

  • "Flag of Truce", Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark[23]
  • "THIS MOMENT is the BEGINNING", Thorvaldsens Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark[24]

2018

2017

Commissions

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  • The Danish Cultural Institute, New Delhi, India 2019[26]
  • Falkonergården Gymnasium, Copenhagen, Denmark 2019
  • Public playground in Hillerød, Denmark 2018[27]
  • The Tattooed Urn, Skovsnogen (Deep Forest Art Land), Herning, Denmark 2017[28]
  • Common Images, Kvindehjemmet, Copenhagen, Denmark 2017[29]
  • Totem, Herning Main Library, Herning, Denmark 2014
  • Flying Carpet, Ventemøllegården, Soroe, Denmark 2014
  • Hav, Hansted Monastery, Horsens, Denmark 2007[30]
  • Torvet i Østerhøj, Ballerup, Denmark 2006[30]
  • Højager School, Ballerup, Denmark 2005[30]

Collections (selected)

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Books and catalogues

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  • A Radically Better Tomorrow, (Copenhagen, Roulette Russe, 2019) ISBN 9788797037621
  • This Moment is the Beginning, (Copenhagen, Trojan Horse Press Archived 2021-05-12 at the Wayback Machine / V1 Gallery, 2019) ISBN 978-87-992350-9-4
  • The Aryan Zebra, (Berlin, Revolver Publishing, 2016) ISBN 978-3-95763-351-4
  • Native, Exotic, Normal, (Copenhagen, Den Frie Udstilling, 2016) ISBN 978-87-997293-2-6
  • Uorden - Disorder, (Vejby, Hurricane Publishing, 2009) ISBN 978-87-7669-034-2
  • Krydstogt på SyndFloden, (Valby, Fung Sway, 2007) ISBN 87-7603-063-6

References

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  1. ^ "Det Fynske Kunstakademi". detfynskekunstakademi.dk. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Afgang | Billedkunstskolerne - Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi". kunstakademiet.dk (in Danish). Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Ugens kunstnere - Hesselholdt & Mejlvang". kunsten.nu - Online magasin og kalender for billedkunst (in Danish). 11 March 2015. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  4. ^ "Årsberetning 2008, Statens Kunstfond". Issuu. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  5. ^ a b "KUNSTEN AALBORG ACQUIRES MØRKEMÆND BY HESSELHOLDT & MEJLVANG". V1 Gallery. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  6. ^ "The Perfect Storm". V1 Gallery. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Party and Lost". Den Frie (in Danish). Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  8. ^ "This Boat with a Broken Rim- Curated by Phalguni Guliani". Mumbai Gallery Weekend. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Dansk kunstners lalleglade balloner er et uudholdeligt kunstværk". Politiken (in Danish). 18 August 2020. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Billedserie: FLAG - objekt, ikon, symbol". kunsten.nu - Online magasin og kalender for billedkunst (in Danish). 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Earth - Body". c-print. 29 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Cool, calm and collected". kunsten.nu - Online magasin og kalender for billedkunst (in Danish). Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  13. ^ "Socle du Monde Biennale 2017 pays tribute to the Italian artist Piero Manzoni". Biennial Foundation. 17 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  14. ^ "CARTE BLANCHE at the French Embassy – IMMART". 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Carte Blanche". Natalia Gutman. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  16. ^ "En blank og vårfrisk dag". kunsten.nu - Online magasin og kalender for billedkunst (in Danish). Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  17. ^ "NOT AT HOME | SKULPTURI". skulpturi.dk. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Silent Review". sandaleum.org. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  19. ^ "KRITISK FORM / CRITICAL FORMS | SKULPTURI". skulpturi.dk. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  20. ^ "Match Race på Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum". kunsten.nu - Online magasin og kalender for billedkunst (in Danish). 31 October 2007. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  21. ^ Hesselholdt & Mejlvang: Soft power - a silent battle for hearts and minds, 2020. Performance., archived from the original on 10 May 2021, retrieved 11 March 2021
  22. ^ Hesselholdt & Mejlvang: An Explosive Moment, 2020, archived from the original on 10 May 2021, retrieved 11 March 2021
  23. ^ Flag of Truce by Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, archived from the original on 10 May 2021, retrieved 11 March 2021
  24. ^ THIS MOMENTis the BEGINNING by Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, archived from the original on 10 May 2021, retrieved 11 March 2021
  25. ^ Performance by Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, 2018, archived from the original on 10 May 2021, retrieved 11 March 2021
  26. ^ "A Beautiful Act of Patriotism | Ny Carlsbergfondet". www.ny-carlsbergfondet.dk. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Eventyrlig Legeplads". Thing Brandt Landskab (in Danish). Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  28. ^ "Hesselholdt & Mejlvang – Deep Forrest Art Land". www.deepforestartland.dk. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  29. ^ "INAUGURATION OF HESSELHOLDT & MEJLVANG'S SITE SPECIFIC WORK COMMON LANGUAGE AT KVINDEHJEMMET". V1 Gallery. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  30. ^ a b c "Hesselholt & Mejlvang". TOMMERUP CERAMIC WORKCENTER - production of ceramic art and decoration for leading international artists (in Danish). Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  31. ^ "In Search of an Enemy 1-9, 2012 – 2013". SMK Open (in Danish). Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  32. ^ "CLAY samlingen - Clay Keramikmuseum i Middelfart". Clay. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  33. ^ "Bølge 2 | Ny Carlsbergfondet". www.ny-carlsbergfondet.dk. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  34. ^ "Bølge 3 | Ny Carlsbergfondet". www.ny-carlsbergfondet.dk. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  35. ^ The Workers Museum Year Rapport 2017 Archived 2020-07-26 at the Wayback Machine https://www.arbejdermuseet.dk (in Danish) Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  36. ^ "Hope NOT Fear | Ny Carlsbergfondet". www.ny-carlsbergfondet.dk. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  37. ^ "Kunst database | Ny Carlsbergfondet". www.ny-carlsbergfondet.dk. Archived from the original on 10 May 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  38. ^ "ALLES KUNST – Ønskeudstilling « Aalborg Kommunes Kunstfond". www.akkunstfond.dk. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  39. ^ "ALLES KUNST 2017 « Aalborg Kommunes Kunstfond". www.akkunstfond.dk. Archived from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  40. ^ "Sculptures | Saxo Collection". Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
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