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Art Exhibition

Longing is exhibited at SDU

A nationwide art exhibition puts the spotlight on longing and the existential issues with which we have all become acquainted during the corona pandemic. At the University of Southern Denmark, artist Lise Harlev will be exhibiting her work series called "Du tænker hele tiden" (You Are Thinking All the Time).

By Susan Grønbech Kongpetsak, , 2/11/2022

‘You see problems everywhere’

‘You feel like you're doing too little’

These are a couple of the though-provoking phrases in Lise Harlev’s artwork, which next month will be exhibited at the entrance to Food Hall (Canteen 4) at SDU’s campus in Odense.

The work consists of a series of six graphic placards that are likely to resonate with students, researchers and lecturers alike – all of whom are under a massive academic pressure from both the outside world and themselves – and many others who, during the corona pandemic, have lived a more isolated life where they have mostly turned their thoughts inward.

Explaining some of the artists thoughts behind the work, the exhibition press release reads:

- By exhibiting the concerns and (self-)reproaches of the individual in her works, they become a matter of common interest rather than simply a personal issue.’

Reflection of the corona years

The work series at SDU is part of a nationwide art exhibition on longing. A reflection of the corona years, the exhibition features 23 performing artists who have created artworks for special places in the public space – works that seek to mirror longing.

Besides SDU, the artworks can be seen in 19 different locations across Denmark until 13 March.

SDU’s Arts Committee has agreed to host part of the exhibition, which is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation as well as Consul George Jorck and Wife Emma Jorck's Foundation.

Meet the artist

Born in 1973 in Odense, Lise Harlev resides in Berlin. She was educated at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and the Städelschule academy of fine arts in Frankfurt. In her art, she works with the relationship between text and image, often referring to the aesthetics of public placards and other information carriers. Harlev’s works have frequently been exhibited in Denmark and abroad, and she is represented in several public collections, including at the National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen.

Editing was completed: 11.02.2022