Main Gallery: Yuichi Hirako, Sleeping In the Pine Forest.
Project Room: David Dellagi: Insanitorium
January 20 – February 25 2012
Opening reception
Friday January 20th from 4-7 pm.
It is with great pleasure that Galleri Christoffer Egelund presents ”Sleeping In the Pine Forest”, the gallery’s first solo show with the Japanese Artist Yuichi Hirako. The young artist presents new paintings and sculptures, which brings us into a colourful, dramatic and dreamlike universe. ”Insanitorium” is the name of another exhibition shown in the gallery’s project room. In this show Danish artist David Dellagi presents sculptures and collages where themes like horror, naivety and black humor go hand in hand.
Yuichi Hirako is interested in the human relationship with nature and the forest as a special place. Although many of us surround ourselves with plants every day, eg. house plants and in parks, there is an apparent division between us and the other living beings – that is the plants. Some Japanese see the forest as a sacred place. On the contrary in Western folklore, the forest is often portrayed as being uncivilized and barbaric.
Hirako strives in his work to break the boundaries between humans and nature. His paintings and sculptures depict people with plant-like heads placed in forests. In his largest painting “Memories of My Garden/Lake Side” plants, people, houses and a car are weaved helplessly together. In other expressive paintings we encounter a green forest-creature, which gives fuel to our experience of fantasy and adventure. Whether the forest is a good or unpleasant place is entirely up to the viewer. In other words; in the work of Hirako nature and culture collide, and we are left in a primitive state.
Yuichi Hirako (b. 1982 in Okayama, Japan) graduated in 2005 from Wimbledon College of Art in London. He lives and works in Tokyo, and he has participated in several group- and solo shows. To name a few the artist has exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art, Gunma, Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, Aichi Arts Center, The Museum of Kyoto, etc. In 2012 the artist will present solo shows at INAX Gallery, GALLERY MoMo Ryogoku and Tokyo Wonder Site Art Cafe kurage in Tokyo.
In the Project Room David Dellagi presents spectacular works where fear, struggle, innocence and sexual frustration are humorously presented. His motifs seem to express a certain state of mind in a very direct and urgent manner, and his works clearly reveal an interest in surrealism as well as cartooning. Among Dellagi´s exhibited works is the piece “Telephone”, a sculpture of a female torso turned into an old fashioned telephone. The woman seems to shout: “How did I end up here?” Dellagi´s sculptures are made from papier maché, an unpretentious material which is a fine contrast to the horrid and naïve. Also shown is a collection of Dellagi´s collages. These present a more minimalist approach mixed with fantasy, humor, insanity and the anatomic grotesque.
David Dellagi (b. 1970) works with drawing, collage, sculpture, video and animation. In addition to numerous exhibitions at home, Dellagi´s works has also been shown in Los Angeles and Stockholm etc. In 2012 Dellagi has a solo show in Mexico City, and his works will be presenting by Space of Drawing at Art Herning in the end of January. Dellagi lives and works in Copenhagen.
Galleri Christoffer Egelund invites You to the opening of ”Sleeping In the Pine Forest” and ”Insanitorium” Friday January the 20th from 4pm to 7pm. Yuichi Hirako and David Dellagi will be present, and the exhibitions runs until February the 25th. Opening hours: Monday – Friday 11am to 6pm, Saturdays 12pm – 4pm. For further information and press photographs, please contact the gallery: info@nullegelund.dk or call +45 33 93 92 00. Please also visit our website www.gce.nu
Afterparty at Byens Kro, Møntergade 8, Cph. K. from 20.00-?
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Galleri Christoffer Egelund kan med stor fornøjelse præsentere soloudstillingen ”Sleeping In the Pine Forest” med den unge japanske kunstner Yuichi Hirako. I sin første udstilling i Danmark viser kunstner nye malerier og skulpturer, som tager os med ind i et farverigt, opsigtsvækkende og drømmelignende univers. Sideløbende i galleriets projektrum vises soloudstillingen ”Insanitorium”. Her kan man opleve nye skulpturer og collager af den danske kunstner David Dellagi, hvor gru, naivitet og sort humor går hånd i hånd.
Yuichi Hirako er optaget af menneskets relation til planter samt til skoven som et særligt sted. Selv om mange af os omgiver os med planter til dagligt, fx. i form af stueplanter og ved brug af parker, så er der en klar adskillelse mellem os og de øvrige levende væsner, dvs. planterne. Hos en række japanere bliver skoven endvidere opfattet som et helligt sted. Denne forestilling står i klar modsætning til den vestlige kulturs sagn og fortællinger, hvor skoven ofte skildres som en uciviliseret og barbarisk lokalitet.
Hirako opløser i sine malerier og skulpturer den klare adskillelse mellem mennesket og naturens planter. I kunstnerens malerier og skulpturer møder vi personer med plantelignende hoveder, som har taget plads ude i skovens dyb. I udstillingens største maleri ”Memories of My Garden/Lake Side” er planter, mennesker, huse og en bil flettet hjælpeløst ind i hinanden. I andre af kunstnerens ekspressive malerier møder vi et grønt skovuhyre, og fantasien og det eventyrlige får således frit løb. Om skoven er et godt eller ubehageligt sted, lader Hirako være op til betragteren. Hos Hirako støder natur og kultur med andre ord frontalt sammen, og en urtilstand synes at herske.
Yuichi Hirako (f. 1982 i Okayama, Japan) blev i 2005 uddannet fra Wimbledon College of Art i London. Han bor og arbejder i dag i Tokyo, og har en lang række gruppe- og soloudstillinger bag sig. Kunstneren har bl.a. udstillet på The Museum of Modern Art i Gunma, Museum of Contemporary Art i Tokyo, Aichi Arts Center, The Museum of Kyoto m.fl. I 2012 har Hirako soloudstillinger hos gallerierne INAX Gallery, GALLERY MoMo Ryogoku og Tokyo Wonder Site Art Cafe kurage i Tokyo.
I projektrummet præsenteres David Dellagis opsigtsvækkende værker, hvor frygt, personlige kampe, uskyld og seksuelle frustrationer fremstilles ved hjælp af et humoristisk formsprog. Dellagis persongalleri synes at udtrykke en bestemt sindstilstand i en meget direkte og påtrængende form, og hans værker har tydelige referencer til tegneseriens univers og surrealismens billedsprog. Blandt Dellagis udstillede værker møder vi bl.a. skulpturen ”Telephone”, hvor en kvindelige torso er forvandlet til et gammeldags telefonrør. Kvinden synes at råbe: ”Hvordan endte jeg lige her?” Dellagis skulpturer er lavet i papmaché, et uhøjtideligt materiale, som står i fin kontrast til det ofte makabre indhold. I kunstnerens collager præsenteres vi endvidere for små historier, hvor fantasi, humor, sindsforvirring og det anatomisk uperfekte individ hersker.
David Dellagi (f. 1970) arbejder med tegning, collage, skulptur, video og animation. Udover talrige udstillinger herhjemme har man bl.a. kunnet opleve hans værker i Los Angeles og i Stockholm. I 2012 har Dellagi bl.a. en soloudstilling i Mexico City, og hans værker præsenteres af udstillingsstedet Space of Drawings på Art Herning i slutningen af januar måned. Dellagi bor og arbejder i København.
Galleri Christoffer Egelund inviterer til fernisering på udstillingerne ”Sleeping In the Pine Forest” og ”Insanitorium” fredag den 20. januar i tidsrummet kl. 16-19. Yuichi Hirako og David Dellagi vil være tilstede ved ferniseringen. Udstillingerne løber frem til 25. februar. Åbningstider: mandag – fredag 11-18, lørdage fra 12-16. For mere information og pressefotografier, kontakt venligst galleriet på: info@nullegelund.dk eller på +45 33 93 92 00. Se alle de udstillede værker på www.gce.nu
Afterparty på Byens Kro, Møntergade 8, Kbh. K. fra kl. 20.00-?