Emotional Collections, 97x123cm
ANDERS MOSEHOLM – ‘WHAT WE LOVE TO HOLD ON TO’
June 1st – July 20th 2024
Birthe Laursen Art Room Gilleleje, St. Strandstræde 1, 3250 Gilleleje
The exhibition ‘What we love to hold on to’ showcases paintings inspired by thoughts on ‘collecting’. Does collecting ‘something specific’ indirectly reflect who we are? Perhaps ‘the special’ we collect is an expression of a unique perspective on the world, allowing us to be ourselves.
It could be concrete irrational things and images of the world that I persistently hold onto and stubbornly refuse to throw away. It’s not just about the things themselves and their utility value. For example, a pair of old worn-out shoes might remind me of a journey that involved a particularly emotionally intense moment. When we come across a crumpled, faded t-shirt that should have been discarded long ago, an ‘inner wave’ can suddenly wash over us – a kind of timeless existential resonance. Perhaps it reminds us of who we were and maybe still are today. It’s not just a resigned feeling of nostalgia, but it can be an active forward-thinking critical energy. Because that feeling may remind us that there are some values we miss in our present, thus containing the potential and zest for life to change the world for the better in the future.
I was particularly inspired for these works when I last visited my friends Jim and Lone in their beautiful apartment in downtown Manhattan. I thought about how my friend Jim has been passionate about collecting, developing the presence, and sharpness in his gaze for the values in what his eyes cast their love upon throughout his life. Jim has been heavily involved in running ‘Lost City Arts’ since 1982 – an extravagant showroom in New York presenting and reselling exclusive design objects, antiques, art, etc. Many of my motifs are impressions from Jim and Lone’s private apartment, filled with selected items from Jim’s enormous collection. Standing in their living room, it’s impossible to avoid connecting the impressions from Jim’s collection with the magnificent view out of the apartment’s incredible panoramic windows, where the gaze is fascinated by the infinite urban New Yorker landscape. Amidst the fascination, one also feels a sense of reflection on how vulnerable our Western values are in our present time. You are so high up that it feels unreal, as if you are flying over the most potent and iconic cityscape of the old world.
Anders Moseholm 2024
‘Madeleine de Proust; an expression used to describe smells, tastes, sounds or any sensation reminding you of your childhood or simply bringing back emotional memories from a long time ago.’
The past in front of Windows to new knowledge, 97x123cm