Gotta Catch ‘Em All (2024)
Allerød Skulpturpark, Allerød (DK)
Materials: Coated aluminum, mesh tank top
Dimensions: 180 x 140 x 140 cm
Photos: Morten Underbjerg
Supported by: Poul Johansen Fonden

The Queers In The Shadows (2023)

Udstillingsstedet Sydhavn Station, Copenhagen (DK)
Materials: Styrofoam, coated aluminum, polyurethane, paint
Dimensions: 120 x 140 x 120 cm
Photos: Mikkel Kaldal
Supported by: The Danish Art Counsil

Press:
www.kunsten.nu/skattejagt-udstillingsstedet-sydhavn-station
hwww.idoart.dk/kalender/gruppeudstilling-skattejagt

"The Queers in The Shadows" is based on the phenomenon of the 'Hays Code,' a set of self-censorship rules imposed on film producers in the United States from 1934. In essence, these rules stipulated that motion pictures should not depict perversion, etc., including queer characters.
One of the historical ways in which queer characters could be subtly portrayed (‘Queer Coding’) was by presenting them as adversaries who needed to be defeated. The list of 'Queer Villains' is extensive. In Disney alone, we find characters like Hades, Ursula, John Ratcliffe, Jafar, Yzma, Cruella De Vil, Scar, Captain Hook... All known for their over-the-top personalities, drag character traits, and their non-heteronormative agendas that go against the protagonist's or even the hero's agenda.
Even though 'The Hays Code' was officially lifted in the USA in 1968, it has been challenging to reverse this trend. We still see plenty of queers in the shadows of major narratives, portrayed as outsiders, not fitting in, being evil, causing harm, or even dying.

Attachments - of Might and Magic (2023)
Galleri Toll, Stockholm (SE)
Materials: Bronze, brick powder, print on shower curtains
Dimensions: 180 x 240 x 80 cm
Made in collaboration with Mette Bjørndal
Curated by: Maria Toll

Playtime (2022)
Sydhavn Station, Copenhagen (DK)
Materials: 15 printet poster, 80 x 120 cm
Press: www.idoart.dk/nicolai-risbjerg (In Danish)
The exhibition is supported by the Ny Carlsberg Foundation.

Busy Living a Dream (2022)
Skulpturpark Prøvestenen Syd, Copenhagen (DK)
Dimentations: 300 x 150 x 150 cm
Materials: Casted aluminium, powder coating, burned wood, crucible, metal residues from casting.
Curated by: Signe Rohardt Lund, Zander Vind, Linda Louise Karlsson, Nicolai Risbjerg, Ditte Marie Frost, Christine Due Jacobsen
Photos by: Luna Lund Jensen and Christine Due

The exhibition, Skulpturpark Prøvestenen Syd, is featuring:
Marie Vedel, Anna Walther, Maiken Stæhr, Mette Bjørndal Velling, Lasse Hieronymus Bo, Elsa Essinger, Siska Katrine Jørgensen, Clara Mosconi, Therese Bülow, Søren Frederik Petersen, Jonas Brøns-Piche, Dan Brown Brønlund, Maria Jacobson, Maria Toll, Christine Due, Nicolai Risbjerg, Zander Vind, Signe Rohardt Lund, Ditte Marie Frost & Linda Louise Karlsson.

The exhibition is supported by: Amagerøst Lokaludvalg, AP Møller Fonden, Knud Højgaards Fond, Poul Johansen Fonden
In collaboration with: Agnes Aagaard Andersen, By & Havn, Prøvestenens Natur- og Fritidsforening.

Links:
The exhibition homepage: www.skulpturpark2022.wordpress.com
Press and pictures: www.idoart.dk/skulpturpark-proevestenen-syd

Tough Enough To Soften Up (2021)
Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, Copenhagen (DK)
Materials: Bronze, aluminum, flat bench
Dimensions: 150x50x50 cm
Photo credit: IDOART-Agency

Expect Nothing, Get Nothing (2021)
Public sculpture shown at Limfjordsbroen, Nørresundby, Aalborg (DK)
Dimentions: 150x60x80 cm
Materials: Bronze, concrete, pallet
Curator: Aalborg Kommunes Kunstfond
Supported by: Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen

Press:
www.idoart.dk/kalender/gruppeudstilling-kunst-i-9400
www.akkunstfond.dk/nicolai-risbjerg
www.migogaalborg.dk/nye-kunstvaerker-staar-klar-i-bybilledet

Have You Seen My Ferrari (2022)
Udstillingsstedet Springbrættet 6a, Copenhagen (DK)
Materials: Castet aluminum, podwer coating, barbell
Dimensions: 40 x 200 x 150 cm
Curated by: Amalie Kornerup Jensen


So Why Freak Out When We’re All Going to be Dead by 2050, Anyway, Right? (2021)
Studio Prøvestensbroen 3A, Copenhagen (DK)
Dimentions: 110x60x70 cm
Materials: Oven, wax

Ungdommelig kraft og drift (2024)
SAK Kunstbygninig, Svendborg (DK)
Materials: plaster
Dimensions: 140 x 80 x 5 cm

I grew up in a pop culture where there was a lack of representation of queer identities and gender expressions. The queer-coded characters I encountered were villains who had to be stopped (think: Ursula, Cruella De Vil, Hades, etc.).
As I got older and started watching films aimed at a more mature audience, I noticed that queer characters often had incredibly tragic fates and frequently lost their lives (think: Milk, Prayers for Bobby, Brokeback Mountain, etc.), possibly a lingering effect of The Hays Code?

Fortunately, (pop) culture has evolved significantly over the past 5-10-20 years, but we still need to update our narratives so that our portrayal of society reflects the people who live and grow up in it.
Because I believe that representation in culture is a step toward understanding our fellow human beings, which will hopefully lead to greater tolerance and less marginalization—so that we can all live in a society where the new normal is being able to be yourself in public without being shouted at or spat on.

This piece was created in connection with the 100th anniversary of sculptor Kai Nielsen’s death. I don’t know if Kai Nielsen was queer, but he worked with themes of beauty, youthful strength, aesthetics, and desire—often through Greek and Nordic mythology.
I have reinterpreted his works Youthful Strength and Desire (The Kiss).

Thanks: VAK Kunstværksteder, SAK Kunstbygning, KKART ApS, Dansk Billedhuggersamfund, Mette Bjørndal, Jone André Tou

In Love with a Fairytale (2020)
Nygårdsskole, Bergen (NO)
Materials: 3 hearts, 3 arrows
Curator: Hilde Jørgensen

Is There Love on Mars? (2024)
Udstillingsstedet Sydhavn Station, Copenhagen (DK)
Materials: Total installation, publication, performance event
Dimensions: variable

Two years ago, the first Dane was sent to the International Space Station for the second time. More than 650 people have already been to space, and soon space will become accessible to ordinary people like you and me. It’s possible to buy a star, name it after yourself or someone you love. The next step might be that we start asking: Are you ready for a date that transcends time and space?
Throughout history, it has been romantic to gaze at the stars and out into the universe. To dream of venturing into the infinite and exploring the unknown. How wild would it be to return to Earth and tell stories of how romantic it was to play tag while floating weightlessly, kissing close to the stars, and holding hands while looking down at the small planet Earth, where the rest of humanity goes about their lives?
Space tourism is no longer just a sci-fi scenario. The space race is in full swing, and with more than a handful of companies selling tourist tickets for space travel—having already sent the first tourists into space and/or in the process of building space hotels—the dream of being the first lovers on the Moon or seeing for yourself if there is life on Mars is no longer just the stuff of dreamy song lyrics but an imminent possibility for us humans.
Space holds enormous potential for humanity, but it also raises questions about the new world order and the consequences that the colonization of outer space might bring. Perhaps humanity needs a common external mission to avoid our conflicts here on Earth? If space—or extraterrestrial beings—can become a shared goal or a common enemy, maybe we will stop making enemies of each other and instead see ourselves as a united humanity.

Supported by: Statens Kunstfond, Rådet for Visuel Kunst, Augustinusfonden, Kongens Enghave Lokaludvalg, Poul Johansen Fonden, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond og Beckett-Fonden.
Thanks: VAK kunstværksteder, Udstillingsstedet Sydhavn Station, Jone Tou, Heine Klausen, Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen, Alberte Skronski, Davide Hjort Di Fabio

Photos: Morten Underbjerg

Press:
https://www.idoart.dk/kalender/nicolai-risbjerg-is-there-love-on-mars
https://artmatter.dk/journal/billedserie-nicolai-risbjerg-is-there-love-on-mars/