V1 GALLERY PROUDLY PRESENTS
Hunger for Aggression
An exhibition by Hesselholdt & Mejlvang
Home is where the heart is. Or, is home where the hate is? As you enter Hesselholdt & Mejlvang's new solo exhibition Hunger for Aggression you are met by 15 ceramic objects. Pots, vases and urns with references to different historical periods, balance on a large wooden X that divide the first room in the gallery. The ceramic objects look homemade and are glazed white, they have a strange presence of objects passed down through generations.
On closer inspection black markings are scribbled on the ceramics, it appears like childish graffiti, or vandalism, but has an ominous feeling, like cultural heritage destroyed in a war.
The markings reveal themselves to be traces of facial tattoos from different right wing activists, gang members and neo Nazis. The installation sets the stage for an exhibition that explores where our hatred and aggression springs from. Hunger for Aggression investigates themes such as cultural heritage, fear, power, violence, symbolism, nationalism and the language and imagery associated with these.
The symbolism in the exhibition is strong; swastikas, eagles, military uniforms and flags, but these elements are often displayed in an eerie private setting. The ceramic uniforms and embroidered military orders look homemade and are presented in what looks like a blend between a kitchen and a collectors secret dungeon. The explicit political and the homely mix. The viewer is confronted with the anatomy of fear. How do we deal with fear as individuals and as a society? and what are the consequences? It is not a pleasant experience. It is unnerving and thought-provoking.
It is not a new strategy for Sofie Hesselholdt (1974, DK) & Vibeke Mejlvang (1976, DK) who have been working with these themes since graduating from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2006. Their work investigates the human condition in a world in constant political, social and economic change. Their practice includes ceramics, large-scale installations, sculpture, drawings and manipulated ready-mades. They explore and question cultural fragments and by re-contextualizing objects and ideas they create room for thought.
Hesselholdt & Mejlvang has recently exhibited at SKMU Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Norway, Växjö Konsthall, Sweden, and Kunsthal Gammel Strand, Denmark. Hunger for Aggression is their second solo exhibition with V1 Gallery.
