Møstings

BIRK BJØRLO: I AM LOST TO THIS WORLD

23. June 2023 - 3. September 2023

Date
23. june 2023 - 3. september 2023
Place
Andebakkesti 5
2000 Frederiksberg

T: +45 69 13 80 90
E: moestings@frederiksbergmuseerne.dk

Over the summer, Møstings presents the solo exhibition I Am Lost to This World by visual artist Birk Bjørlo (b. 1986).
Here, figurative drawings, abstract paintings and sculptures are blended, creating an exuberant jumble of anecdotes from the everyday life, paraphrases and general issues common to all mankind.  

With the exhibition, I Am Lost to This World, Bjørlo revives his earlier passion for cartoon drawing, creating a series of drawings that circles around a toad character. The toad here becomes a sort of narrator, that you meet in its reflections on what it means to be a part of this world when you simultaneously feel alienated from it. I Am Lost to This World invites the audience into a universe in which the boundaries between inner mental space and outer parameters, that makes up our shared physical world, are blurred.  

With references to familiar figures in the history of art, such as Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker, Bjørlo highlights the universal elements of the many states of mind, in which the mythical creature finds itself; despairing, uplifting, anxious and thoughtful. At the same time, familiar details from Møstings’ sophisticated first floor sneak into the toad’s world and blur the lines between the drawings’ fictional spaces and the physical surroundings. Physically, the toad also steps out of the drawings, brought to life as a wax sculpture which, with time, will break down and melt into Møstings’ grandiose setting. 

Two expressive object-paintings sculpturally twist and turn through the exhibition space, creating a flickering landscape that breaks with Møstings’ traditional spatial plan. Just as the drawings, the paintings represent their own unfathomable spaces, built of layers upon layers of materials that pile up and merge together. As a scenographic feature in the exhibition, the paintings both act as a reflection of the toad’s multifarious inner lives and as a pause in the exhibitional narrative. 

The title, I Am Lost to This World, refers to the iconic musical piece of the same name by the German composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), and as a part of the exhibition, in one of Bjørlo’s large object-paintings, you will be able to experience August Rosenbaum, pianist and composer, interpreting Mahler’s symphony. The piece is thereby a direct conversation between Rosenbaum, Bjørlo’s art works and Mahler’s iconic piece. Tickets to the event with August Rosenbaum can be purchased via Billetto. 

The exhibition is supported by Statens Kunstfond, Det Obelske Familiefond and Arbejdernes Landsbank. 

About Birk Bjørlo 
Birk Bjørlo (b. 1986, Norway) has graduated from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, 2014, and Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, 2012-13. He lives and works in Denmark.  
Among other places, Bjørlo has exhibited at GL Strand (DK), Elephant Kunsthall (NO), Treignac Projects (FR), Huset for Kunst og Design (DK) and Gether Contemporary (DK). 

Bjørlos artworks are amongst others acquired by Ny Carlsberg Fondet, Statens Kunstfond, and he has further received Else Marie Bukdahl’s Hæderslegat (honorary grant) and Jens Søndergaard & Hustrus Mindeslegat (memorial grant).