What are your thoughts behind the Christmas House?
The initial idea centered on exploring the artistic potential of limitations, as certain aspects of the Christmas House’s format and aesthetics were predetermined. For example, the colors needed to come from Nørgaard’s seasonal palette, and the front was meant to resemble or represent the store’s facade.
As a visual artist, I primarily work with installation and sculpture. For me, these practices are almost like drawing a house, since they both involve three-dimensional forms and construction. The concept behind the Christmas House was to create a compressed sculpture, with each side expressing a different visual language—some inspired by facade drawings and photos, others drawn purely from memory.
What was it like to work on a Nørgaard Christmas House?
Initially, I felt somewhat ambivalent about working artistically with the theme, as Christmas is arguably the most capitalist and Americanized holiday of the year. However, upon reflection, I realized that many of my artworks often originate from a sense of ambivalence.
Creating the surfaces of the Christmas House—pink, black, silver, wrapping paper, hundreds of confetti stars, and lacquer—felt a bit like creating a surreal, three-dimensional collage.
During the process, I remembered Mads (Mads Nørgaard, red.) telling me that when Nørgaard was founded, the store was called Sørgemagasinet (“The Mourning Store”), where customers could buy clothing and fabrics for grief-related occasions. To me, Christmas also carries a sense of mourning. The Christmas House is an attempt to encapsulate that feeling in a strange, gift-wrapped, sculptural container, presented in its own quirky, shiny, and camp way.
How can people tell it’s your work behind the Christmas House?
At first glance, I don’t think it’s immediately obvious that I’m the artist behind the Christmas House, as I typically don’t use so many colors or glitter in my work. However, upon closer inspection, people might recognize my style in how I’ve constructed, over-lacquered, and layered the surfaces and details.
How do you hope the Christmas House will be experienced at Nørgaard?
What’s fascinating about Nørgaard Paa Strøget’s window display is that visitors can view the space, housing the Christmas House, from multiple angles. I hope people experience it in various ways—perhaps as something uncanny, confusing, decorative, and strange. I hope children find it a bit magical, while adults might perceive it as a bit trashy.
