The work of Frederik Næblerød is characterized by energetic, gesticulating movements in his brushstrokes performed at a high pace. The configuration and shaping of his works is a testament to his superior productivity and creative urge. He has always moved freely between materials and mediums, including sculpture, but for the first time he has chosen to work with one of Art History's great, classical mediums; the bronze. Thereby adding a new chapter to his body of work.
In the exhibition Family Affair, for which he has created 13 unique bronze sculptures, we are introduced to another side of Næblerød. It is a comprehensive and slow process to cast bronze - from the moment the model is shaped in wax until the ultimate process of polishing and patinate the bronze that becomes the final sculpture. It is technically incomparable to any other medium and Næblerød has delved into a different side of his artistic self challenging his common practice - a temporal shift that differs from his otherwise more immediate approach.
Bronze is a ruthless medium, partly because of the demanding physicality of the process, partly because the casting reveals everything down to the smallest detail. This has given rise to a different temporality in the works that we as viewers encounter in the exhibition as well as adding a unique depth to Næblerød's dynamism.
Despite the classical tradition of the bronze that has influenced Næblerød's work process, he has kept - along with his distinctively humoristic and almost boundary-breaking idiom - the strange creatures who usually inhabit his works sampled from scifi, myths, dreams and everyday imagery. Næblerød is still creating from a great artistic necessity, but is leading his works and not least the gaze of the viewer in a new direction. There is an inherent calmness to the sculptures that lies in the meticulous and time-consuming details evoked by the bronze.
In the exhibition the bronze sculptures engage in a dialogue with a series of watercolors on paper that have a clear kinship to the sculptures. Næblerød rarely uses sketches or preliminary studies, but the paperworks are almost of that nature as the sensibility and poetic tranquility they exude, has emerged as a synergy between the two mediums.
The exhibition lineup consists of fewer pieces and the works are more rigorously curated than in previous exhibitions. This creates a space of contemplation for the viewer to dwell on the artworks and sense the passing of time - past, present and future in a balanced interaction with Næblerød's artistic pulse. The exhibition bears witness to an artist with a constantly evolving sense of self, one who seeks to discover new paths challenging his artistic practice all the while staying true to himself.
Frederik Næblerød (b.1988) lives and works in Copenhagen. He graduated with an MFA from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen in 2018. His works are represented in public collections such as Skovgaard Museet, Ny Carlsbergfondet, Statens Kunstfond, Vejle Kunstmuseum, Horsens Kunstmuseum and Kastrupgårdsamlingen.
He has exhibited at Odsherred Museum (2024), Trapholt Museum (2024 upcoming), Skovgaardmuseet, DK (2024), Gl. Holtegaard, DK (2023 og 2020), Horsens Kunstmuseum, DK (2022), Vejle Kunstmuseum, DK (2022), Politikens Forhal, DK (2019). He has exhibited internationally at The Telegraph, Tjekkiet (2022), Jeppe Hein Studio, Berlin (2022), Haverkampf Gallery, Berlin (2020), Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, USA (2018), Canada Gallery, NY, USA (2017), Texas Contemporary Houston, USA (2016) among others.
This is Næblerød's third solo exhibition at Alice Folker.
