In the current Dutch political climate, where differences between people seem to be grounds for exclusion and division, Rasmus Myrup brings to life a group of Nordic inhabitants. They invite us to reflect on the need for imagination and how diversity should be celebrated and protected.
The new works in the danish artist Rasmus Myrup's exhibition Salon des Refusés are a co-production between 1646 and the Gothenburg Biennale in collaboration with La Criée centre d'art contemporain in Rennes, France.
A group of folkloric individuals who have been pushed out of modern Nordic normativity hangs out in the exhibition. They all seem to gravitate around the entrance of a nightclub, waiting for our departure to come alive. It's a space where humans cannot go – their safe space. A space without us.
These mythological beings, whose bodies are made of the natural materials they animate, wear custom-made clothing that expresses their personality, as contemporary incarnations of their ancient and current legends.
These characters are beings from the past in a contemporary context. They somewhat resemble us but are completely different. For example, there's the powerful earth deity, single mother of four magical oxen, who releases acid once a year to ease the pressures of parenthood. Or a forest elf who is tired of having to hide the hole in his back just because men won't stop staring at it...
Cultural heritage is often appropriated by right-wing conservatives who attempt to distort history to fit their patriarchal, misogynistic, homophobic, and cis-centric worldview. Resisting this suffocating grip, Myrup reinterprets sources from the past and brings out their sensual, homosexual, and progressive characteristics.
Originating from oral tales, these characters come from a collective subconscious, representing a wild nature both in reality and in thought. Myrup aims to rediscover these constantly evolving narratives and thereby gain a deeper understanding of our own present time.
Press release by 1646 co-directors: Clara Pallí Monguilod and Johan Gustavsson.