25 June – 4 December 2022 • Level 5, Focus Gallery

Rock – Scissors – Paper is a broad-ranging presentation of works from the ARoS art collection. Inspired by the familiar hand game, Rock – Scissors – Paper presents a large selection of works from different periods, all of them involving materials or themes that relate to three overall categories: the hard, the composite and the delicate. For example, recent acquisitions by Tove Storch, Nina Beier and Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen are juxtaposed with rare paper-based works by venerable figures such as Hans Christian Andersen.

– The ARoS collection is a true treasure trove, full of interest and value, and it is exciting to see the works brought into play in experimental ways. When new and old works are put together as in Rock – Scissors – Paper, you look at them with fresh eyes, and you may see something new, something you haven’t noticed before. At ARoS, we have a strong focus on our collection, and we are forever working on making it as relevant to our audiences as possible, says museum director Rebecca Matthews, ARoS.

The hard, the composite and the delicate

The exhibition shows art by artists who, each in their own distinctive ways, work with stone, cut-outs and collages, found objects and everyday items, and/or paper-based formats such as prints, photography, drawing and watercolour – all in playful, innovative and experimental ways. Spanning a broad spectrum in terms of time and themes alike, the featured works share certain similarities in their approach to art: they explore their chosen materials, are humorous and playful and/or challenge tradition. The pieces on display include selected sculptures and object-based works from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by artists such as Bjørn Nørgaard, Peter Bonde, Kirsten Ortwed and Arthur Køpke.

– The playful approach to art which runs like a common thread through the exhibition has also informed the underlying curatorial process, where we have allowed ourselves to take a more open-ended approach than usual, say the curators behind the exhibition, Jeanett Stampe and Maria Kappel Blegvad, ARoS.

The three rooms of the exhibition

The first room of the exhibition shows several sculptures made of stone, including works by prominent Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard from his Eks-skolen period when he, in keeping with the era’s experimental approach to art, worked across different genres and art forms. This is followed by a room showing a large number of collages and assemblages. Here, scissors – involving the concept of the cut-out, the torn, as well as the norm-breaking and liberating potential of deconstruction – have played an important and liberating role for the artists. The last room of the exhibition shows a range of works mostly associated with paper as a category. The ARoS collection of works on paper accounts for more than half of the museum’s total collection, encompassing everything from watercolours, drawings and photography to collage, paper cut-outs and prints. The delicate paper lends itself well to a wealth of artistic techniques, modes of expressions and formats.

Press photos can be downloaded free of charge on the condition that the photographers are credited by name.

For further information, please contact:

Curators:
Jeanett Stampe: jest@aros.dk / +45 6162 9678
Maria Kappel Blegvad: mkb@aros.dk / +45 2888 4474

Press and communication:
presse@aros.dk / 0045 2888 4464