Annette Bjarnhoff | What If Nature

Arden Asbæk Gallery is proud to present the exhibition What If Nature by installation and ceramic artist Annette Bjarnhoff. The exhibition presents a delicate and poetic approach to nature and its fragility through Bjarnhoff’s characteristic botanical sceneries, made from white porcelain, often so thin that light can easily shine through. The wintery landscape is beautiful, but barren; large-scale test tubes with knotted branches and stiff leaves are mounted on the gallery’s walls, alongside display cases of tinted glass, protecting the sprouts inside and keeping us at a distance.

Light plays a significant role in the exhibition, where the sculptures delicacy is enhanced using light and shadow. But Bjarnhoff’s consistent focus on light, also gives the porcelain garden a sense of hope. Bjarnhoff’s highly detailed ceramic works are characterized by an unmistakable love of nature, which is also expressed in the titles of the works that all play off the exhibitions speculative title. What if nature was too fragile to touch? What if nature was genetically engineered to be perfect? These questions stem from a deep love of nature, and a care and concern for what we have and what we might lose.