While we are waiting (for the new space)

It is a great pleasure for Galleri Nicolai Wallner to present While we are waiting (for the new space), an exhibition with new works by the artists of the gallery. This exhibition will be the last in our Islandsbrygge premises. After 10 years we feel the time is right for a move so we can continue our aim to offer the best possible space for exploring and enjoying contemporary art. With 700 square meters and natural light our new space promises to be the most ambitious commercial gallery space in Copenhagen. We look forward to welcome you this September.

Besides new works by Jonathan Monk, David Shrigley, Jeppe Hein, Jens Haaning, Elmgreen & Dragset, Peter Land, and Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen part of the exhibition will be a presentation of a new series of paintings jointly made by Jonathan Monk and David Shrigley. These new paintings combine the conceptual wordplay and appropriation strategy of Monk with the iconic sign language of Shrigley.

The paintings were created as a close collaboration between the two artists, who has selected as starting points a number of sentences from titles and works by artists from the 60's and 70's. These appropriations, with some added changes, have been painted onto the canvas by a professional sign painter and then illustrated by Monk and Shrigley. The text and the images relate in a surprising way as the artists play around with the words. The juxtaposition of text and image might seem random at first but at closer look offer its own peculiar logic. By moving away from the original meaning and instead working literally with the text, the artists give new points of view to the appropriated maxims. They test the validity of the original sentences and put them into a context that is both contemporary and relevant.

As always we are happy to welcome you in the gallery.

With kind regards,

Galleri Nicolai Wallner

While we are waiting
(for the new space)

Künstler: Jonathan Monk, David Shrigley, Jeppe Hein, Jens Haaning, Michael Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset, Peter Land, Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen