Press Release

Jes Brinch: Unlearning reality – dissolving self.

The Danish visual artist Jes Brinch has been living and working in Vietnam since 2003. At the exhibition in Gallery Kirke Sonnerup, an ambitious installation by the artist is presented, marking the first major exhibition of Jes Brinch’s installation art in Denmark in three years.

Jes Brinch uses the fantastical in the encounter between different cultures as an artistic source of inspiration and a positive driving force in his work.

One of the exhibition's focal points is cultural relativity and the thought-provoking differences between Denmark and Vietnam, as well as our contrasting lifestyles, values, and symbols.

The installation’s elements are objects collected in Vietnam, typical of Vietnamese culture but seen as strange and peculiar through Western eyes, combined with imaginative works created by the artist. Everything is assembled into an entertaining total installation designed for the exhibition space.

On a deeper level, the exhibition is about abandoning one’s own cultural background, to shed ingrained Danish perceptions of reality and the limited personality shaped by one's cultural upbringing. The goal is not to critique any single perception of reality but rather to challenge all perceptions, enabling them to function freely and uninhibited.

Over 15 years, Jes Brinch has developed an open and dynamic working method in installation art, using improvisation and spontaneity in constructing physical artworks, reflecting the thematic focus of this exhibition. The final result is unpredictable, as the critical part of the installation process takes place during the five days leading up to the exhibition's opening.

Under all circumstances, a thought-provoking and entertaining exhibition is guaranteed, which may provide material for further reflection.

The exhibition is supported by the Danish Arts Council.

Public Tour with the Artist

On the opening day, a public tour with the artist will take place at 1:30 PM. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the artist, hear about his thoughts and intentions for the exhibition, ask questions, and discuss the displayed works in an informal setting. Everyone is welcome.

Vu Thi Trang: Ordinary life in Vietnam today 

Vu Thi Trang is a female Vietnamese painter, born in 1974 in Thai Nguyen, a province north of Hanoi in North Vietnam. The exhibition presents a series of 10 paintings by Vu Thi Trang, depicting the lives and conditions of Vietnamese women in contemporary Vietnam.

The foundation of the paintings is the artist's own life experiences and personal encounters. The themes are Vietnamese everyday life in both rural and urban settings, including issues such as the oppression of women, alcoholism, violence, poverty, and the pursuit of success in the city

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Vu Thi Trang is a self-taught painter, and her artistic language is personal, simple, and direct. Her paintings provide a clear insight into the everyday lives of Vietnamese women today. Vu Thi Trang belongs to the generation of Vietnamese who grew up and matured after the war, and who, like the majority, live a daily life that is only familiar to those in Denmark through images. The Vietnamese society is rapidly evolving, and it is vastly different from the Vietnam that many associate with memories from 30 years ago. Vu Thi Trang’s art provides a serious insight into the conditions of this generation in the current Vietnamese society.

Vu Thi Trang is a unique Vietnamese painter, contemporary and documentary in her content, formally innovative and original in her expression, and independent of the Vietnamese academic tradition. It is fair to say that this exhibition represents a new initiative in Vietnamese art, which is being presented for the first time to a Danish audience.

In connection with the exhibition, a catalog titled Vu Thi Trang: Ordinary Life in Vietnam Today is being published, featuring reproductions of the exhibition's 10 paintings, accompanied by the artist's commentary and the story of her life, told in a direct and personal manner. The catalog consists of 40 pages, with text in Danish and English.

The catalog is published with support from the Danish Arts Council.

“dePlaced”

Stalke Gallery/Gallery Kirke Sonnerup

Video/Performance/Installation by Bella Angora (A) and Christian Falsnaes (DK)

Description:

“dePlaced” is a combination of a performance piece and a series of video works and can be considered an interdisciplinary spatial project consisting of a series of interrelated elements.

Based on the fundamental theme of “displacement” (understood in relation to the positioning of the individual in social and metaphysical structures), a series of audio, video, and physical sequences is presented, culminating in a half-hour-long performance.

The interplay between video and body is a central aspect of the work. Video clips provide the framework for the performed performance. Situations arise in which the artists actively interact with the image and the audience. Sound, video, performance, installation, and text merge into a multimedia project that addresses basic thematic issues and constitutes an artistic experiment.

In addition to performing a live performance on the opening day, Bella Angora and Christian Falsnaes exhibit sculptural installations and integrated video works, which, together with the performance documentation, form the exhibition. The videos add an extra dimension to the “dePlaced” universe and take the same aesthetic and content-based starting point.

The title “dePlaced” refers to location/space and deconstruction.

Objective:

Bella Angora and Christian Falsnaes generally aim to challenge common perceptions of reality and the system of norms, patterns, and linguistic forms of interaction that constitute socialized perception. Furthermore, they aim to critique the norms presented as objectively true and create an image of a utopian universe where the creators of reality engage in open interaction and active positioning.

“dePlaced” more specifically attempts to visualize the repressed feeling of being displaced in reality, in the body, in gender, and in the existing system of social norms. At the same time, “dePlaced” seeks to contribute to a reinterpretation of the role of performance art in a society characterized by media consumption and information overload. It explores the space where the boundaries between communication art and fine art are transcended, giving rise to new expressions in this intersection.

Jes Brinch

Back Gallery

Preview

Two Artist Couples Fill Galleries

International art by two artist couples will be presented on Saturday at Sam Jedig's gallery in Kirke Sonnerup.

Kirke Sonnerup:

New exhibitions will open at Galleri Kirke Sonnerup and Stalke Galleri. Both locations feature the works of artist couples showcasing their art.

At Kirke Sonnerup, the works of Vu Thi Trang and Jes Brinch will be displayed, while Stalke Galleri presents the works of Bella Angora and Christian Falsnaes.

Vu Thi Trang is a Vietnamese visual artist whose works are being exhibited in Denmark for the first time. Her paintings depict Vietnamese women's everyday lives. Her daily life in both rural and urban settings includes themes of female oppression, alcoholism, violence, poverty, and the pursuit of success.

Danish artist Jes Brinch has been working with installation art for the past 15 years. He has lived and worked in Vietnam since 2003. This is the first time in years he has had a major exhibition in Denmark.

He uses his work to address the meeting of different cultures as a source of artistic inspiration and positive drive.

Performance

The exhibition Displaced was created by Danish artist Christian Falsnaes and his Argentinian wife Bella Angora. It consists of a combination of performance and video works, where related elements are interwoven.

Displaced is an attempt to highlight the feeling of being displaced in the body, in gender, and in the existing system of social patterns. At the same time, Displaced tries to address performance art's role in society, by exposing the excesses of media influence and information overload.

An opening reception will be held on Saturday from 1 PM to 5 PM, followed by a performance at 3 PM. After that, the exhibition, which is supported by the Arts Council, will run until April 28.

Galleri Kirke Sonnerup is located at Englerupvej 62, Kirke Sonnerup.

Sa/Dagbladet 

Vietnamese Art in a Gallery on Zealand

Lifestyle and differences in ways of living are the themes of an exciting exhibition, where inspiration is drawn from both Vietnam and Denmark.

By: Helle Cecilie Kolding

Kirke Sonnerup
It has been a busy week at Galleri Kirke Sonnerup, leading up to the opening reception tomorrow for an exhibition that has required a lot of preparation and setup. The exhibition features the Vietnamese painter Vu Thi Trang and the Danish installation artist Jes Brinch, whose works can be seen at the gallery until April 28.

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 25, the artists will be present to provide a guided tour of the exhibition, which is centered on themes from their daily lives and the differences and similarities between the worlds and lifestyles that have shaped their respective artistic inspirations.

Vu Thi Trang, who was born in 1974 near Hanoi, Vietnam, is showcasing a series of paintings that depict women's lives and conditions in contemporary Vietnam.

The starting point for her paintings is her experiences as an artist navigating life and survival. The motifs are of daily Vietnamese life in rural and urban settings, focusing on issues such as female oppression, alcoholism, violence, poverty, and the pursuit of success.

She is a self-taught painter whose work is personal, simple, and direct. Her paintings provide insight into the everyday lives of Vietnamese women and life as it unfolds in contemporary Vietnam. Vu Thi Trang belongs to the younger generation of Vietnamese artists who grew up after the war and are now a majority in a rapidly developing Vietnamese society, which is vastly different from the Vietnam of 30 years ago.

Vu Thi Trang is a unique Vietnamese painter because, while she is rooted in a Vietnamese artistic tradition, her work is simultaneously contemporary and documentary in content. Her style is formally innovative and original, free from the constraints of an academic tradition. In short, she represents a new approach to Vietnamese art, which is being shown to a Danish audience for the first time.

Meeting Between Cultures
Vietnamese inspiration is also evident in the work of Jes Brinch, who, despite being a Danish citizen, lives and works in Vietnam. He has been living there for nearly three years, and this is his first major exhibition in Denmark in many years.

Jes Brinch uses his work to explore the fascinating meeting of different cultures as a source of artistic inspiration and positive energy.

The exhibition revolves around cultural relativity, exploring the differences between Denmark and Vietnam, and their distinct lifestyles, values, and societal norms.

The installation’s elements were created in Vietnam, and they reflect the typical Vietnamese culture, which can seem foreign and mysterious to Western eyes, combined with the fantastical universe created by the artist. All these elements come together in an entertaining total installation specifically designed for the exhibition space.

For the past 15 years, Jes Brinch has developed an open and dynamic artistic approach to installation art. He uses improvisation and spontaneity in his creative process, which also reflects the themes of the exhibition.

The final shape of the exhibition will only be revealed tomorrow morning, as Jes Brinch works on his installations "to the very last minute." Regardless, the entire experience is expected to provide inspiration and provoke thought.

Bella Angora and Christian Falsnaes

Front gallery