Artist : Ragnhild May
Photo : Elisabeth Julie at Alice Folker Gallery
World premiere
[ exhibition ]
Time : Free entry
14. May • 16:00-19:00
15. - 16. May • 14:00-19:00 (+ 30 min performance May 15. 17:00)
17. - 18. May • 10:00-16:00 (+ 30 min performance May 17. 11:00 & 12:00)
Location : Galleri Tese, Graven 21, 8000 Aarhus
Performers : Anja Nedremo, Marie Sønderskov, Nolan Lem
Supported by : Koda Kultur, Statens Kunstfond, Ny Carlsberg fondet
Commissioned by : SPOR festival
Info
A solo exhibition, which is rooted in a critical examination of Western musical instruments and other mass-produced everyday objects. In the past, these objects varied greatly in size and design, as they were often crafted to meet individual needs. This changed significantly with the rise of mass production, which made it necessary to establish standard measurements to accommodate the needs of the majority. Through a sculptural and performative approach, the exhibition highlights how such objects have historically been designed to fit a specific body type: The white, able-bodied, cis-gendered man.
The design of musical instruments, from the piano to the flute, is often tailored to this idealized body, creating challenges for bodies that fall outside this norm. The exhibition seeks to challenge and expand our understanding of how we interact with such objects, bringing new perspectives on technology, the body, and identity formation into the realm of music.
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Ragnhild May (b. 1988) is a Danish artist from Odense, who currently lives and works in Copenhagen. Her cross-disciplinary art practice is based on visual art and sound using sculptures, performance, music releases, and merch editions in experimental investigations of an almost scientific nature. Her works are characterized by a humorous approach to the feminine, the monstrous, and the childish. Each work’s conceptual context provides an organic basis for the choice of technology and materials – traditional sculptural materials combined with state-of-the-art technology. Drawing on new materialist feminism and science fiction, her art practice is both tactile and theoretical.