Interview

ART: L.A. in the old market town

"I could really imagine an American fridge with an ice machine and an extra wide compartment, combined with a triple wok burner and a huge flat-screen Sony TV with PlayStation. And if I had the money, I would make it happen myself. It's about objects, their genuine value, and how we use them. But I can just as well take them around with me, even if it turns out they are far too big for my little apartment."

Klaus Thejll Jakobsen thematizes in his works the "bigger-is-better" culture. The series of gigantic hard white walls and house ceilings, presented by the 34-year-old artist, are created in natural size and inspired by images in commercial catalogs. The objects, made of cardboard and laminated with drawings, have been previously exhibited at the Museum Fridericianum in Kassel. Now Copenhageners can also enjoy these works in this month’s exhibition at Stalke.

The exhibition is in collaboration with the American artist Carl Bronson, whom the Danish artist met a few years ago while working in Los Angeles. The two quickly bonded while sharing a studio in an abandoned garage, exchanging ideas, becoming friends, and starting this collaboration, which Copenhagen gallery-goers can now enjoy at the end of the month.

For Klaus Thøll Jakobsen, who completed art academy training last year, the fascination with Los Angeles and American culture serves as an important focal point:

"Los Angeles is a strange place to be for a European because it’s built on sprawling neighborhoods connected by freeways. You can almost live in your car, as it becomes a practical necessity to leave your home – you can do your shopping, eat your meals, go to the cinema, and even drive to a drive-in church on Sundays."

At the exhibition, the Dane and the American both present their own works and a 1:2 collaborative piece, which will be installed immediately before the opening, when Carl Bronson arrives in Copenhagen. The collaboration is an essential part of Klaus Thøll Jakobsen's artistic process, as he believes that ideas arise more naturally when working with people from different backgrounds. And according to him, there is a significant difference between artists from Copenhagen and Los Angeles:

"In L.A., being smart about your art is not enough – artists are actually seen as anti-social. On the other hand, everything revolves around the film industry, which means that art and exhibitions face tougher conditions, both in New York and Europe. At the same time, it costs approximately 200,000 kroner a year to attend art school there, so if you choose to live as an artist, you really have to be passionate about it."

In addition to collaborating with Carl Bronson, Klaus Thøll Jakobsen has been part of the gallery Saga Basement since the 1990s and has previously exhibited in Denmark and internationally in Germany, Norway, Sweden, and most recently Sydney, Australia.

Camilla A. Stockmann

29.1.99 Nat og Dag