Torben Ebbesen – Danish Conceptual Sculptor & Painter

TORBEN EBBESEN

(DK)

Archive: Exhibition at Stalke Galleri since 1988

TORBEN EBBESEN AT SIMIAN 2022

Torben Ebbesen has worked for over five decades in the intersection of sculpture, installation, and painting – often using industrial materials and a raw, almost archaic energy. His works embody both deep spiritual layers and a striking physical presence that activates the senses.

From the beginning, Ebbesen has been in ongoing dialogue with 20th-century art, but his practice also spans a vast encyclopedic field, where religious, mythological, and scientific worldviews intersect. There is a kind of cryptic systemin his works – rebuses or signs that, through titles and symbols, catch our attention while remaining open and unresolved. They invite and withdraw at the same time.

His use of materials – rubber, wood, metal, fiberglass, plastic – and their often vivid, jarring compositions challenge classical notions of harmony. There are material dissonances and unruly proportions that appear almost anarchic within the otherwise composed spaces of art institutions. One imagines the artist rummaging through archives, supply depots, color charts, gene banks, and mineralogical collections – all in order to open the world like a labyrinthine box.

Ebbesen’s interest in Zen Buddhism and Eastern thought further influences both the spiritual undertones and the open structure of his works. His art is not about delivering clear messages, but about creating situations where form, meaning, and material are in constant negotiation.

Collaboration with Stalke Galleri

Torben Ebbesen has been part of Stalke Galleri since the very beginning.His first solo exhibition with the gallery took place as early as 1988, and over the years he has continuously participated in both solo and group exhibitions. His works have been a central part of the gallery’s development and identity – as a sculptor, thinker, and image-maker.

We have followed his practice closely – from the early experiments of the 1980s to the more recent installations where space, material, and meaning merge into intense visual constellations. His art can be experienced in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden, as well as in several museum collections.