Thorbjørn Lausten(b.1945) made his debut in 1966 and has since been a central figure in Danish art, rooted in the constructivist and concrete traditions. His practice spans painting, works on paper, installations, light works, light spaces, and data visualizations – all characterized by a rigorous, system-based visual language.

Lausten’s first light work, created in 1972, was an interactive piece and marked the beginning of an extensive exploration of light as both material and carrier of information. In a number of subsequent works, light is programmed to turn on and off in specific rhythms – for example using the Morse code or sequences related to spatial and temporal measurements – challenging the viewer’s perception and concepts of energy, structure, and time.

Since the 1990s, Lausten has increasingly focused on visualizing scientific data, translating measurements and systems into complex visual structures. These works explore the relationship between art, knowledge, and cognition, and examine how methods and systems participate in the construction of reality.

Lausten has received numerous honors, including the three-year working grant and lifelong grant from the Danish Arts Foundation, the Eckersberg Medal, the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Grant, and the Danish Critics' Prize as a curator.

He has held solo exhibitions at major institutions including the National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst), the North Jutland Art Museum, the Funen Art Museum, the Esbjerg Art Museum, Museum am Ostwall Dortmund, CAVS/MIT, and ZKM Karlsruhe.

His collaboration with Stalke Galleribegan in 1987 with a major solo exhibition, shortly after the gallery’s transition from Galleri Jedig to Stalke. Since then, Lausten has been a consistent and influential presence in the gallery’s program, participating in numerous solo and group exhibitions. His work has been instrumental in the development and visibility of system-based and conceptual art within both Danish and international contexts.

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