Claus Carstensen
30 May - 18 Oct 2015
Similar to the American expressionist Jackson Pollock, Claus Carstensen has urinated on several of his works, and in the painting Untitled (Krystufek – after Steen Møller Rasmussen) he depicts the artist Elke Krystufek naked, urinating in a wineglass in a form of feminist performance.
CLAUS CARSTENSEN
What’s Left (Is Republican Paint) – Nine Sisters
30 May - 18 October 2015
AN EXHIBITION ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, INTIMACY AND NAKEDNESS
The exhibition WHAT’S LEFT (IS REPUBLICAN PAINT) – NINE SISTERS presents almost 100 works, old and new, by the Danish artist Claus Carstensen (b. 1957). The expressive and confrontational works include paintings, sculptures, photography and murals, as well as a new, custom-made carpet. The 9 themes of the exhibition – or ‘sisters’ as the artist calls them – address issues like freedom of expression, totalitarianism, intimacy and nakedness, and encompass the vast number of media and materials Claus Carstensen has worked with over the past 36 years.
TRASHY AND WILD
As one of the ‘Young and Wild’ artists who caused a major stir on the Danish art scene with the 1982 exhibition Kniven på hovedet (‘The Knife on Its Head’), Claus Carstensen has become one of Denmark’s most significant contemporary artists. Together with Michael Kvium, Christian Lemmerz, Peter Bonde and other prominent artists of the 1980s who have previously exhibited at ARoS, Claus Carstensen paved the way for a brutal yet conceptual and expressive form of painting. Claus Carstensen consciously uses disparate materials. Like a visual DJ he samples visual fragments, computer generates or twists and distorts his images in other ways. Carstensen has constantly renewed his expressive style. The principal work Æterlegeme (Ethereal Body) from 1986, for example, was made using foam rubber, urine, alkyd and oil paint, rags and axle grease. In addition, many of his works have been created in collaboration with others, including his daughter Zoe, the art group Superflex, and graffiti artists or sign writers.
A BRUTAL, THOUGHT-PROVOKING EXHIBITION
Claus Carstensen’s oeuvre reflects his persistence in putting social and political issues on the agenda. In the series Pavilion of The Naked he depicts the Cambodian torture victims of the Khmer Rouge regime, and in a series of defacings, like the iconoclasts he modifies, paints over or disfigures existing images by, for example, cutting a hole in a painting of the Libyan ruler from 1969-2011, Colonel Gaddafi.
On a more personal note, WHAT’S LEFT (IS REPUBLICAN PAINT) – NINE SISTERS presents selected works from the series Untitled Room for Zoe, which Carstensen has created with his daughter Zoe since 1994. Claus Carstensen has involved Zoe in his artistic practice since she was two years old, painting images with her, copying her images, or incorporating them in his own works.
The artist himself says that encountering his works at ARoS will be “like being hit in the face with a visual baseball bat.” With these words in mind, everyone who visits ARoS from May 30th - October 18th 2015 can look forward to a brutal, thought-provoking exhibition – Claus Carstensen’s largest solo exhibition to date.
The exhibition CLAUS CARSTENSEN / WHAT’S LEFT (IS REPUBLICAN PAINT) – NINE SISTERS is open from 30.05.2015 – 18.10. 2015 in the special exhibition gallery and foyer on the first floor of ARoS.
CLAUS CARSTENSEN
Claus Carstensen (b. 1957) was born and raised in Sønderborg, Denmark. He is a graduate of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where he was also a professor from 1993-2002. He was part of the generation of Danish artists known as the ‘Young and Wild’. Painting is his primary medium, but his works also include installations, photography and murals. Claus Carstensen’s works are characterised by their socially critical approach. He was awarded the Eckersberg Medal in 2004.
What’s Left (Is Republican Paint) – Nine Sisters
30 May - 18 October 2015
AN EXHIBITION ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, INTIMACY AND NAKEDNESS
The exhibition WHAT’S LEFT (IS REPUBLICAN PAINT) – NINE SISTERS presents almost 100 works, old and new, by the Danish artist Claus Carstensen (b. 1957). The expressive and confrontational works include paintings, sculptures, photography and murals, as well as a new, custom-made carpet. The 9 themes of the exhibition – or ‘sisters’ as the artist calls them – address issues like freedom of expression, totalitarianism, intimacy and nakedness, and encompass the vast number of media and materials Claus Carstensen has worked with over the past 36 years.
TRASHY AND WILD
As one of the ‘Young and Wild’ artists who caused a major stir on the Danish art scene with the 1982 exhibition Kniven på hovedet (‘The Knife on Its Head’), Claus Carstensen has become one of Denmark’s most significant contemporary artists. Together with Michael Kvium, Christian Lemmerz, Peter Bonde and other prominent artists of the 1980s who have previously exhibited at ARoS, Claus Carstensen paved the way for a brutal yet conceptual and expressive form of painting. Claus Carstensen consciously uses disparate materials. Like a visual DJ he samples visual fragments, computer generates or twists and distorts his images in other ways. Carstensen has constantly renewed his expressive style. The principal work Æterlegeme (Ethereal Body) from 1986, for example, was made using foam rubber, urine, alkyd and oil paint, rags and axle grease. In addition, many of his works have been created in collaboration with others, including his daughter Zoe, the art group Superflex, and graffiti artists or sign writers.
A BRUTAL, THOUGHT-PROVOKING EXHIBITION
Claus Carstensen’s oeuvre reflects his persistence in putting social and political issues on the agenda. In the series Pavilion of The Naked he depicts the Cambodian torture victims of the Khmer Rouge regime, and in a series of defacings, like the iconoclasts he modifies, paints over or disfigures existing images by, for example, cutting a hole in a painting of the Libyan ruler from 1969-2011, Colonel Gaddafi.
On a more personal note, WHAT’S LEFT (IS REPUBLICAN PAINT) – NINE SISTERS presents selected works from the series Untitled Room for Zoe, which Carstensen has created with his daughter Zoe since 1994. Claus Carstensen has involved Zoe in his artistic practice since she was two years old, painting images with her, copying her images, or incorporating them in his own works.
The artist himself says that encountering his works at ARoS will be “like being hit in the face with a visual baseball bat.” With these words in mind, everyone who visits ARoS from May 30th - October 18th 2015 can look forward to a brutal, thought-provoking exhibition – Claus Carstensen’s largest solo exhibition to date.
The exhibition CLAUS CARSTENSEN / WHAT’S LEFT (IS REPUBLICAN PAINT) – NINE SISTERS is open from 30.05.2015 – 18.10. 2015 in the special exhibition gallery and foyer on the first floor of ARoS.
CLAUS CARSTENSEN
Claus Carstensen (b. 1957) was born and raised in Sønderborg, Denmark. He is a graduate of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where he was also a professor from 1993-2002. He was part of the generation of Danish artists known as the ‘Young and Wild’. Painting is his primary medium, but his works also include installations, photography and murals. Claus Carstensen’s works are characterised by their socially critical approach. He was awarded the Eckersberg Medal in 2004.