We are delighted to welcome you to our new exhibition Nature Boy so Civilized by Mette Vangsgaard. This is Vangsgaard’s third solo show at the gallery, and she continues her humoristic but profound observations of everyday life and man’s existential cohesion with our surroundings, presenting a total installation of new works in ceramics and hand blown glass of cute animals, melting ice, tanned naturalists, a smiling sun, and a meteor.
Nature Boy so Civilized is a phrase from the track Totally Nude by Talking Heads. Their song is about a person, who has detached himself from civilization, living in the wild.
The focal point of the exhibition is the present state on Earth, where humanity’s impact on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems, including the alarming climate changes, is now so profound that a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene – needs to be declared. Our moral ideas about, who to blame for the destruction of the biosphere is humanity as a whole. The problem is, as Mette Vangsgaard points out, that humanity can never be captured as a single unit due to the ever growing, extreme inequality of power relations. Again, we’re letting the big players go – everybody is guilty. Instead, perhaps we should articulate the decisive biological factor in the perspective of the certain way we have chosen civilization to be, and focus on how we convey things.
Like in Talking Heads’ Totally Nude, the idea about leaving civilization to start anew is a growing dream among us, as TV shows like Survivor and Alone challenges.
In Nature Boy so Civilized Mette Vangsgaard captures how popular culture is used to make us feel bad, to give us a bad conscience, but it seems only momentarily, it is as it does not really bite on us, or as we cannot overcome the devastation. On the contrary, it rather invokes ideas about, that we are well adaptable beings to the changes, being close to nature, feel connected to nature. Thus the exhibition presents figurative works in ceramics and glass in Vangsgaard’s characteristic eclectic and unpolished style based on the imagery of popular culture, for example an emotional press photo of a polar bear on a tiny melting ice flake. Motives inspired by comic strips, pocket philosophical proverbs and a sticker of a grinning sun. The works capture the binary condition of man’s perception of nature: catastrophe and harmony, beauty and horror.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to Mette Vangsgaard’s Nature Boy so Civilized. The opening reception is on Friday, 11th May 2018, at 5-7 PM. The exhibition runs thru to Saturday 23rd June 2018.
Mette Vangsgaard (b. 1968) lives and works in Copenhagen. She graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in1996, and in 2011 she was awarded the 3-year grant from the Danish Arts Foundation. She has exhibited widely, most recently, Liquid Sunshine, YOD Gallery, Osaka 2017; Vejle Museum of Art, 2016, and in 2017 she was commissioned to decorate Rosborg Gymnasium. Mette Vangsgaard is among else represented at Vejle Museum of Art, KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art, Grimmerhus Museum of International Ceramic Art, The Danish Arts Foundation and Vejen Museum of Art.
Now, personalize your account so you can discover more art you'll love.
PERSONALIZE YOUR ACCOUNTa treasure trove of fine art from the world's most renowned artists, galleries, museums and cultural institutions. We offer exclusive works you can't find anywhere else.
through exclusive content featuring art news, collecting guides, and interviews with artists, dealers, collectors, curators and influencers.
authentic artworks from across the globe. Collecting with us means you're helping to sustain creative culture and supporting organizations that are making the world a better place.
with our art advisors for buying advice or to help you find the art that's perfect for you. We have the resources to find works that suit your needs.
Artspace offers you authentic, exclusive works from world-renowned artists, galleries, museums and cultural institutions. Collecting with us helps support creative culture while bringing you art news, interviews and access to global art resources.
COLLECT FROM 300+ GALLERIES & MUSEUMS
Tailor your art, news & information to your preferences.
View Preference CenterWelcome to the world's premier online marketplace for fine art.
Enjoy 10% on your next purchase by using coupon code WELCOME10 at checkout.
The world's premier online marketplace for fine art.
Enjoy 10% on your next purchase by using coupon code PHAIDON10 at checkout.
Your preferences have been saved
to your account. Update them at any time
in your Preference Center
To place a bid, enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the work. Artspace will accept a bid at the next increment, and save any excess amount as a maximum bid. If you are outbid, we will continue bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid.
Bidding increments increase at the following intervals:
You will receive an email confirmation of your bid and when you are outbid.
If you are the winning bidder, you will be contacted 48 hours after of the close of the auction.
Every bid submitted is treated as a maximum bid. You should always bid the maximum you are willing to spend for a work, though this does not necessarily mean you will pay that price. As the auction unfolds, we will increase your bid by increments to ensure you remain the highest bidder. If the winning amount is less than your maximum bid, you will pay the current increment. If your maximum bid no longer exceeds the current bid, you will receive an outbid notification email, and have the option to bid again.
In the case of multiple bidders placing the same maximum bid, the first person to place the maximum amount takes precedence as the highest bid until another bidder exceeds the maximum amount.
For Artspace Auctions winning bidders are charged a 15% Buyer's Premium on top of the hammer price. For Artspace Benefit Auctions, Buyer's Premiums are not applied. If they are, this will be clearly noted. Purchases made from all auctions, including benefit auctions, are subject to sales tax.
Winning bidders will be contacted within 48 hours to arrange shipping and to provide final price including commission, shipping, and taxes and duties when applicable. Promotion codes cannot be applied to auction works.
All our frames are manufactured in the USA, using eco-friendly & sustainably sourced engineered hardwood for durability and a uniform finish that is free of defects. Frames are available in Black or White Satin and Honey Pecan.
All prints are hinged to a conservation quality, acid-free and lignin-free Alpha Cellulose matboard, using an acid-free linen tape. The mat's surface paper is fade and bleed resistant and is attached to a conservation quality foam-core mounting board that will keep the work safe from deterioration over time. Artworks with a deckled or decorative edges will be floated on the matboard, with acrylic spacers to separate the art from the glazing. All mounting is fully reversible, without any potential damage to the art.
All of our frames come with picture quality .090 mm plexiglass, which blocks 66% of UV to prevent color fading from exposure to light, keeping your art protected for years to come. It is now considered the industry standard for artists, museums and galleries throughout the world.
For images up to 30" x 40"
For sheet sizes larger than 30” x 40”