Artists

Nils Viga Hausken、Jenny-Marie Johnsen 、Tine Jakobsen、Karen Land Hansen 、Pontus Kjerrman、Tine Hecht-Pedersen、Mads Gamdrup、Marit Benthe Norheim 、Claus Ørntoft、Ib Mondrad Hansen 、Tong Wang 

Visual art and the existential challenges

Art is always new confrontations with reality and a struggle to

acquire new insights into both the inner and outer world. The

artists can open a new space of experience that points towards

new meaningful orientations, but also reveals important

existential and societal values.

Especially outstanding artists from the renaissance to our time –for

example Leonardo da Vinci and Picasso – have always been aware that

the language of form can communicate experiences and knowledge

that the written and spoken word are either unable to express

adequately or simply cannot capture. The word never coincides with

the artistic expression. The artists can visualize perspectives and reveal

traces and significances that philosophers and scientists cannot grasp

with their tools alone. Leonardo da Vinci maintains that there is a

special knowledge expressed in what he called a ‘pictorial science’,

which does not speak with words (and still less with numbers) but

with the language of art which communicate “to all the generations

of the universe.”

When we meet the different artworks created by the ten Scandinavian

artists, who are exposing here in Nordic Art Center, we are in a very

impressive way, drawn into a fascinating artistic experience space

which widen the perspective and content of our daily life. In their

projects the artists show in different and original ways respect for both

mankind and nature. And they have structured their works in such a

way that they contain both artistic interpretations of the current

problem areas of our time and different ways of involving the viewers

and often making them directly in contact with the artistic universe.

Through the visual artistic interpretation unexpected new ideas are

created. They are both larger and different from those we know from

our everyday life. Visual art has a central place both in the artistic,

cultural, and ethical space. It appeals not only to sight, hearing,

feelings, and imagination, but also sharpens the political and ethical

thinking.

All the artists participating in this exhibition have each in their

own way emphasized that viewers – both children and adults –

can be actively drawn into the artistic universe and stimulated

to uncover new orientations, make new connections with the

people around them and discover new social and ethical

obligations. Art has great influence in many ways in both the

cultural and the social space.

Exhibition Art in the social space, curated by artist Tine Hecht

Pedersen and Dr. Phil. Else Marie Bukdahl in cooperation with

Lan Lan.

The exhibition will be held at Nordic Contemporary Art Center

in Xiamen, China from 30st March 2024 to May 2024

Dr. Phil Else Marie Bukdahl

Else Marie Bukdahl professor of Art and Technology at the

University of Aalborg, Denmark