Søren Dahlgaard

SØREN DAHLGAARD

THE DOUGH WARRIOR PROJECT!

Anders Kold, curator at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, was summoned to a café in Copenhagen in November 2007 to view and discuss the video Dough Warrior Painting His Garden, 2007 for the documentary film The Dough Warrior – a portrait of Søren Dahlgaard. The following excerpts are an abridged version of the recording: “… It is a good argument for the view that art should not necessarily be anaemic or encumbered by solemnity. It’s acceptable to smile at the same time. And the Dough Warrior certainly calls for a smile! The way he moves around, humming quietly as if he were in the shower, while he carries out his work of painting small plots of land with vibrant colours. Yes, it is quite funny I must say…

Anders Kold, museumsinspektør på Louisiana, blev sat stævne på en café i København i november 2007 og præsenteret for videoen Dough Warrior Painting His Garden, 2007. Teksten er en redigeret og forkortet udgave af optagelsen: … Det er et godt indlæg for det synspunkt, at kunst ikke nødvendigvis bør være anæmisk eller tynget af alvor. Man må godt trække på smilebåndet, og den her Dejkriger, han kalder da på smilet. Den måde, han går og småsynger på – som om det var i brusebadet - samtidig med at han udfører sit arbejde, som så altså er at male en eller anden lille parcel med pangfarver. Jo, det er ret morsomt, det må jeg sige …

Bread drawing, 2007.

Slide paintings. Installation view. Slade School of Fine Art, London, 2002. Human paintbrush techniques no. 2. Paintings measure 122 x 244 cm each.

Wall Riding, 2001 Human paintbrush techniques no. 1.

Slide painting, 2002 Performance still. Wall Riding, 2001. Video stills.

… It says something about Søren Dahlgaard, about him specifically, but it also says a lot about an individual at a difficult time or place in history. These days there are many who paint, but only a few years ago in the year 2000 it was relatively “new”. I’m not saying that he painted at the time, but you must relate to it. Painting is in one 4

way or another the history of art or a story within the history of art which we as individuals must either throw a lump of dough at, paint over or do something to. This is because it’s the strongest trend, and one that has been elevated by the state and collectors to the grandest within the old hierarchies...

… Det siger noget om Søren Dahlgaard, om ham specifikt, men det siger jo meget om en figur et sted i historien, hvor det har været svært. Nu er der enormt mange, der maler, men bare tilbage i år 2000, der var det altså stadigvæk lidt nyt. Nu siger jeg ikke, at han malede dengang, men man må forholde sig til det. Maleriet er på en eller anden

måde den der kunsthistorie eller historie i kunsthistorien, som alle bliver nødt til enten at kaste en klat dej efter eller male hen over eller gøre et eller andet ved. Det er, fordi det er den stærkeste strømning, det er også den, der er blevet løftet op af staten og samlerne som det fornemste i de gamle hierarkier …

Human Cannonball model, 2002. Edition of 3. 40 x 50 x 30 cm. Human paintbrush techniques no. 3. 5

… It’s obviously broken down and insulted many times, yet it continues to expand: Painting is the largest sour dough found in art, is it not? And Dahlgaard comments on it. I can’t help thinking about a conversation I had with the Danish painter Tal R in connection with his exhibition at Louisiana (2007), where he began by saying: ‘If you concentrate on the colours, you have lost as an artist’. At first it seems an extremely provocative statement coming from a painter, but it relates to what Dahlgaard is doing: Namely, to have an opinion about things. It’s not about subtle nuances and tones. Painting is a tool one must relate to. It has a history and in that story there is a critique of the medium – and Søren Dahlgaard has taken this on board.

… Det er selvfølgelig brudt ned og forhånet mange gange, men det hæver bare hele tiden, maleriet er den største surdej, der findes i kunsten, ikke sandt? Og der er han jo inde og kommentere det. Jeg kan ikke lade være med at tænke på en snak, jeg havde med Tal R i forbindelse med udstillingen på Louisiana (2007), hvor han startede med at sige at, ’hvis man giver sig hen til det med farverne, så

har man tabt, som kunstner’. Det er umiddelbart en ekstremt provokerende kommentar, når den kommer fra en maler, men det har faktisk noget at gøre med det, Dahlgaard laver. Nemlig at man må have en holdning til tingene. Det er ikke noget med fine nuancer og tonaliteter at gøre. Maling er et redskab, som man må forholde sig til, og der er en historie, og der er en kritik af

maleriet, der indgår i den historie, og den har Søren Dahlgaard taget på sig. Jeg tror aldrig, han bliver maler i den forstand, men han tematiserer det besværlige ved kunsten, og så gør han det samtidig morsomt, som når han i denne performance kaster sin egen krop ind …

Elliptic touchdown, 1999 Photo series of 4 images. 70 x 100 cm. Edition of 5 + 1 AP. 100 x 150 cm. Edition of 1 + 1 AP. Drawings, 1999 30 x 40 cm. 6

… One could say it also points to another area the art world currently concentrates on, namely the artist. But what kind of figure is he then if art can be outlined to an extent that an informal conversation becomes the artwork? The romantic figure disappears completely – typically the male painter who staggers and fences with brushes. This figure has already been fiercely challenged and it is here, on the small plot of land, where the Dough Warrior treads. If he is unable to guide the brushes into the buckets of paint he merely lifts the bucket and paints. It is both comical and tragic, and is one of many stories portraying the difficulties of being an artist…

… Man kan sige det er jo også med til at pege på en anden ting, som kunsten i disse år har fat i, nemlig kunstneren. Hvad er han for en figur, hvis kunsten udgrænses i en sådan grad, at man kan sidde og have en diskussion, og dét så er værket. Da forsvinder den romantiske figur helt væk, typisk den mandlige maler, der står og fægter med

penslerne. Og den er jo allerede voldsomt udfordret og dér – lige ind på den parcel træder dejkrigeren altså. Og kan han ikke styre penslerne ned i bøtterne, da tager han bøtten op og maler. Det er komisk og tragisk, og det er endnu en fortælling blandt mange om det besværlige ved at stå på det sted, der hedder ’en kunstner’…

Hexagonal Cyclops, 2000. Photo series of 5 images. 70 x 100 cm. Edition of 5 + 1 AP. 100 x 150 cm. Edition of 1 + 1 AP.

… So Søren Dahlgaard is not a sensitive painter. He is a conceptual artist, a man of ideas, and puts himself to use if the staging dictates it. The material must be worked though to create what will eventually become an image: In this case an image of what artists do. Artists take things and place them somewhere different, thus activating a significance or meaning that results in a dialogue or a testimony… … Søren Dahlgaard er jo ikke en følsom maler, han er konceptkunstner, han er idémager og forbruger sig selv. Der er noget stof, der skal gøres noget med for at blive til noget, og på et tidspunkt kan det blive et billede, et billede på, hvad kunstnere laver. De tager noget og stiller det et andet sted, og dermed får de aktiveret en eller anden betydning, de får en diskussion eller et udsagn …

Challenging dough, 2005 300 kg dough. 20 kg yeast. 2x2 m lawn. 2x2 m hedge on ramp. Photo series of 4 images. Edition of 6 + 1 AP.

Dough Warrior painting in studio, 2007. Performance stills.

… Dahlgaard’s version cannot be executed too harshly, too simply or too clumsily. Therefore the artist figure – in this case the Dough Warrior – never gets anywhere as he struggles with and gets caught up in his medium which, just like his story, is sluggish. Art must, therefore, from time to time cut its own cord in order to progress: Allowing others to throw dough on you or to enter the arena and virtually destroy it through ineptitude may achieve this effect. In much the same way Peter Land dances naked in one of his video works, it is a performance you can laugh at and keep at arms length, and 12

yet there is the potential for empathy and possibly even self-identification as another option. Perhaps Søren Dahlgaard feels like a Dough Warrior, perhaps he doesn’t. He appears to be a combination of human cannon ball and a very sensitive individual. He finds himself in the art system and has chosen dough as his medium but could just as well have been impeded in his quest by having brushes tied on his body. He is obviously troubled by history, yet his work is not decidedly political and maintains an acknowledgement of art, of artist and different models of existence as fundamental

categories. At the same time his work is so wacky or distanced from reality that it cannot fail to bring at least a smile to one’s lips. But we don’t just sit and laugh at it …

The Dough Warrior hurdler paintings, 2007. View of set.

The Dough Warrior hurdler paintings, 2007. Performance stills.

The Dough Warrior paintbrush Ten baguettes and paint.

… Det kan så i Dahlgaards udgave næsten ikke gøres groft nok, simpelt eller klodset nok, og derfor bliver kunstner figuren – her Dejkrigeren – selvfølgelig én, der aldrig kommer ud af stedet, fordi han kæmper med og hænger fast i stoffet, der er trægt, ligesom historien er det. Kunsten skal derfor også engang imellem klippe sin egen line over for at komme videre. 16

Det kan ske ved, at man lader andre kaste dej på sig eller ved selv at træde ind på arenaen og næsten splitte den ad i sin klodsethed og udsathed. Ligesom når Peter Land danser nøgen rundt. Der er noget, man kan grine ad, og som man dermed holder i armslængde, og så er der en empati og mulig selvidentifikation. Det kan være, at Søren Dahlgaard føler sig som en

Dejkriger, det kan også være, at han slet ikke føler sig som én. Han er jo sådan en blanding af en kanonkonge og et følsomt individ. Han befinder sig i kunstsystemet og har valgt dejen, men kunne i og for sig lige så godt have været besværet af at have pensler spændt på kroppen. Men han er besværet af historiens gang, og der synes jeg, at han diskuterer på en måde, som

ikke er tør. Han er ikke udpræget politisk, han holder fast i det, der handler om kunst, om kunstneren og om nogle forskellige eksistensmodeller, samtidig med at han gør det så tilpas gakket eller ser det så langt udefra, at det også trækker i smilebåndet og skaber en vej ind. Vi sidder ikke bare og griner af det …

The Dough Warrior hurdler paintings, 2007. Painting in the installation.

The Drumming Breadhut performance, 2007. International Prize for Performance, Galleria Civica Museum of contemporary art, Trento, Italy. 500 baguettes, drum kit & dough warrior armour.

… It’s a rather unique universe that runs along paths already trodden. To play the painter is not without precedent, but there is something reminiscent of Asian martial arts about it. Rather like a Ninja Turtle with baguettes tied on its body in an orderly fashion. For me, it relates to precisely what I sensed the first time I saw his work: Monitored from all sides, he was subjected to individuals flinging dough at him. Or a bunch of individuals, seated around a Piet Hein Super Ellipse table covered with a large, swollen mountain of dough, who looked as if extraterrestrial forces

controlled them as they rhythmically banged their heads into the dough mass. Man, that was strange! The epitome of design exposed to anti-design in much the same way as Dahlgaard attacks the familiar categories – the artist, painting and art – with fearless idiocy…

… Det er et ret unikt univers, som samtidig kører ad nogle spor, som er trådt før ham. At spille maler er ikke uden fortilfælde, men der er jo asiatisk kampkunst over det. Som en Ninja Turtle med flutes spændt på, sådan meget ordentligt. For mig hænger det sammen med lige præcis det, jeg synes var så sjovt første gang, jeg så ham, hvor han også havde gang i dejen. Overvåget fra alle sider blev han udsat for andres kast med dej. Eller en flok mennesker samlet omkring et stort hævet bjerg af dej på et superellipseformet Piet Hein-bord, hvor folk - som var de styret af ekstraterrestiale kræfter -

klaskede hovederne ned i klumpen. Det var underligt; indbegrebet af design udsat for anti-design, der bare flyder ud efter sine helt egne love. Lidt på samme måde som Dahlgaard angriber de vante kategorier – kunstneren, maleriet, kunsten – med frygtløst idioti …

Drawings, 2007. Each meassuring 20 x 30 cm framed. 21

… Dahlgaard’s work from 2000 to 2007 has strong lineage as he both performs the medium as well as discusses it. The dough has now been baked and is a kind of armour which makes it impossible to produce a classical painting as he is constantly impeded by rogue baguettes strapped to his elbows and arms. …There are stories in the history of art that have since become myths because they have taken on a broader implication. For example that of the elderly Renoir, who was so riddled with arthritis that he tied brushes to his hands in order to paint. This leads me to recall another work of art that has often been exhibited at Louisiana; Paul McCarthy's The Painter. Dressed as a kind of art spastic he paints just as much with his penis and his bottom as he does with his hands. At the same time he staggers around like a paralysed armoured beetle in relation to collectors and gallerists. This primitive animal is in McCarthy's work an obvious mocking of the sensitive and the expressive in the arts and its institutions...

… Jeg ser værkerne fra 2000 til 2007 som sammenhængende, fordi han både performer stoffet og i en anden betydning diskuterer det. Nu er det så blevet bagt og ligesom blevet hans panser. Et panser, der samtidig gør det umuligt at lave klassisk maleri, fordi man hele tiden har et flutes oppe i albuen eller spændt på armen.

Der lever jo i kunsthistorien historier, som siden er blevet myter, fordi de dér får en bredere betydning, for eksempel den om den meget gamle Renoir, som havde så megen gigt, at han spændte penslerne på sin krop og sad i rullestolen og malede. Det er maler-myten. Jeg tænker her også på et kunstværk, der ret ofte vises på Louisiana, nemlig Paul McCarthys The Painter. Maleren er klædt ud som en kunstspasser, der maler lige så meget med pikken og røven, som han gør det med hænderne, samtidig med at han som en paralyseret panserbille bakser rundt i forhold til samlere og gallerister. Dette primitive dyr er fra McCarthys side en klar ironisering over det følsomme og det ekspressive og dets institutioner …

Portrait painting no. 1. By The Dough Warrior. Performance stills. UNFAIR Copenhagen, 2008 22

Portrait painting no. 2 Pernille. UNFAIR Copenhagen 2008. Edition of 10, 50 x 70 cm. Edition of 5, 70 x 100 cm. + 1 AP. Edition of 1, 100x150 cm. + 1 AP

Portrait painting no. 1 Anna Nicoline. UNFAIR Copenhagen 2008. Edition of 10, 50 x 70 cm. Edition of 5, 70 x 100 cm. + 1 AP. Edition of 1, 100x150 cm. + 1 AP

… If you purchase a painting regarded in every respect as a failure, possibly even with integral breadcrumbs, it’s not intended to hang next to a composition by a stern modernist, like the Dane Edvard Weie for instance. Rather, one purchases it as an acknowledgement and an appreciation of the nature of the concept. For although the artwork must remain within – i.e. acknowledge – the boundaries of the canvas, the piece will sneer at Weie and portray something that lies outside or beyond the object in question. Instead of e.g. wading through the plot of land adorned in bread, the Dough Warrior could just as well have burned it with a flamethrower or something similar. In any case with an obvious reference to Yves Klein, perhaps. It all takes place in the mind, in the communication between the artwork and the spectator. So, we have a heavyweight industry and a brain industry… 26

… Køber man et i stort set alle gængse henseender mislykket maleri, eventuelt med brødrester indoptaget, så er det jo ikke, fordi man tiltænker det en placering over sofaen ved siden af en komposition af Edvard Weie. Man køber snarere en erkendelse og en bevidsthed om processens karakter. For selvom værket måtte holde sig inden for – dvs. anerkender – lærredets fire sider, så ved man, at stumpen vrænger af Weie og taler om noget. der ligger enten udenfor eller bagved selve objektet. I stedet for at vade igennem parcellen med brød fastspændt kunne Dejkrigeren lige så vel have brændt den af med en flammekaster eller noget lignende. I så fald med reference til Yves Klein, måske. Det hele foregår derfor oppe i hovedet, i kommunikationen mellem værket og den, der kigger på det, eller besidder det. Der findes en sværindustri, og så er der en hjerneindustri …

Still life paintings, 2007. By The Dough Warrior. Jug & vase Fruits in bowl Flowers in vase (Life size objects).

Drawing, 2008. 30 x 40 cm framed.

The Dough Warrior landscape painting performance, 2008. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, HumlebĂŚk, Denmark. Photo series of 6 images. 70 x 100 cm. Edition of 5 + 1 AP. 120 x 180 cm. Edition of 2 + 1 AP.

Drawing, 2008. 30 x 40 cm framed. 28

Drawing, 2008. 30 x 40 cm framed.

Drawing, 2008. 30 x 40 cm framed. 30

Drawing, 2008. 30 x 40 cm framed.

Drawing, 2008. 30 x 40 cm framed. 33

Hedge painting, 2008. Acryllic paint, baguettes, plastic hedge. 160 x 120 x 30 cm. From The Dough Warrior landscape painting performance, 2008. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, HumlebĂŚk, Denmark.

Leaf paintings, 2007/08. Leafs from The Dough Warrior landscape paintings. Framed 70 x 90 cm.

Painted leaf from hedge,2008. Detail.

… The work is very strictly conceived and executed. Performance art demands that. If a painter in the classical sense works for hundreds of hours to complete a work of art, regardless of whether the colouristic or the structural is at the fore, Dahlgaard could spend an equal amount of time on his work. What we cannot see in the two minutes on the screen are 100 hours of conceptualizing the dramaturgy of the performance as a whole. It must look exactly this way and unfold inside the scenario in that way for him to finally have control over his body. Like a ballet dancer, he must know exactly what to do next, despite his movements not resembling those of a ballet dancer in the slightest way. And the whole thing is created with the very same incisive precision employed by the painter when adding paint to a canvas. It’s just another register of human acknowledgment or senses to which Dahlgaard’s art addresses itself. In much the same way the purchase of a 40

painting tends to demand a minimum of respect for craftsmanship and originality of some sort, and therefore treats it as a fetish, in Dahlgaard’s case one must also appreciate (and value) the hidden work and the originality as something fundamental and honest. Even if the work can be interpreted as ironic to the idea of an especially privileged sensitivity. His statement is relevant, like so much else, but there are not many of his kind – which may ultimately be of benefit to societal cohesion…

… Værket er stramt tænkt og udført. I det øjeblik, man arbejder med performancekunst, så er der jo høje krav til dramaturgien. Man kan sige, at hvis en maler i klassisk forstand arbejder i 100 timer med at bakse noget på plads - hvad enten det koloristiske eller det strukturelle er i højsædet - så sidder Dahlgaard jo også og fedter med det. Det, som vi ikke kan se i de to minutter, der på skærmen, er jo de potentielt 100 timer, han har gået og overvejet og fået idéen og tænkt den dramaturgi stramt ud. Det skal være præcist sådan og skal foldes ud i netop dét scenarium, og så skal han sluttelig have kontrol over sin krop. Han skal, som en balletdanser, vide præcis, hvad han skal gøre, også selvom det ikke ligner en balletdansers udfoldelse. Og dramaturgien, hele udfoldelsen, er jo lavet med lige præcis den søgende præcision, som maleren udfolder, når han står og maler med farverne på lærredet. Det er bare et andet register i den menneskelige

erkendelse eller sansning, som det henvender sig til. Ligesom man ved købet af et maleri tenderer til at fatte i hvert fald et minimum af respekt for arbejdets håndværksmæssige resultater og originalitet, og derfor behandler det som en fetish, må man i Dahlgaards tilfælde ligeledes værdsætte (og værdi-sætte) det usynlige arbejde, originaliteten, som noget fundamentalt ærligt. Også selvom værket kan siges på mange måder at ironisere over netop forestillingen om en særligt privilegeret følsomhed. Hans udsagn er relevante og præcise som så meget andet, men der findes ikke så mange af hans slags, hvilket måske er meget godt for hele samfundets sammenhængskraft.

Portrait painting of The Dough Warrior, 2008. In 17 parts each meassuring 30 x 40 cm. Total 220 x 140 cm.

I am black paint, 2008. Portrait of The Dough Warrior. 75 x 100 cm.

… I believe that the mixture of invention and disciplined action characterizes him, and it is not an exhibitionist desire to once again see Dahlgaard fuck up or Dahlgaard make the cut. He has a message, which is not as easy as one might think. Sometimes one has to speak harshly to others in order to get an honest answer. If you look at it from a universal, human level, one can imagine all sorts of psychological processes whereby we could make others say things they really mean. Artists work in a field of self-realization, but also with a desire to escape from themselves. This is what I meant by saying Dahlgaard is not an exhibitionist… … Jeg tror, at blandingen af påhitsomhed og disciplineret handling er hans force, og det er jo ikke en ekshibitionistisk trang til endnu engang at se Dahlgaard fucke op eller Dahlgaard klare ærterne. Han siger jo noget, og det er ikke så nemt, som man måske skulle tro. Man må også somme tider sige noget groft til hinanden for at få et ærligt svar. Hvis man vil føre det over i det almene menneskelige regi, så kan man jo forestille sig alle mulige psykologiske modeller, hvormed vi to kunne få hinanden til at sige noget, vi virkelig mener. Der er kunstnere jo ude, i en slags selvrealisering, men også med et ønske om også at slippe væk fra sig selv. Det er det, jeg mener med, at han ikke er ekshibitionist …

Hard wind, 2008. Portrait of The Dough Warrior. 75 x 100 cm.

I am paint, 2008. Portrait of The Dough Warrior. 75 x 100 cm.

The Dough Warrior negative - Ready for work, 2008. 115 x 170 cm.

The Dough Warrior negative - Left hand stroke, 2008. 115 x 170 cm.

Lawn, 2008. Landscape painting. 75 x 100 cm.

The Dough Warrior, 2008. Selfportrait paintings, no. 1-3. The Yves Klein painting method. 120 x 200 cm.

…To throw light on a discussion and move it to a place where it can be viewed from several angles is how one might take a bearing on Dahlgaard’s many arenas and markets – privet square inclusive. Obvious it would seem when one uses one’s own body and performs, but it can be done in 101 different ways. Therefore, I believe he is fundamentally an artist concerned with dialogue. This is more than a mockery of painters. Neither is it about how to make a name for oneself and make money, but rather how he actually expresses his inner thoughts. Should implements be utilized or should I write texts? Should I paint or do I need to somehow create an alter ego who I can push so far that others can relate to it? To a place where everyone becomes more intelligent…

… At flytte en diskussion frem i lyset og til et sted, hvor man kan se den fra flere sider, sådan kan man godt pejle Dahlgaards mange arenaer og torve, ligusterkvadratet inklusive. Måske oplagt når man nu bruger sin krop og performer, men det kan jo gøres på 117 måder. Derfor mener jeg, at han grundlæggende er en diskuterende kunstner. Det her handler om andet end at gøre grin med malere. Det handler heller ikke om, hvordan man bliver stor og tjener penge, men hvordan han egentligt får udtrykt alt det, han går og tænker på. Skal der bruges objekter til det, eller skal jeg skrive tekster? Skal jeg male, eller skal jeg på en eller anden måde tage en figur på mig, som jeg måske har en form for identifikation med, men som jeg kører så langt ud, at andre også kan være med på galejen. Til et sted, hvor alle bliver klogere … 51

Breaded paintings, 2008. One liter of paint poured on crushed Dough Warrior armour (breadcrumbs). 40 x 50 cm.

Breaded painting, 2008. Black monochrome. 40 x 50 cm.

Breaded paintings, 2008. Process stills.

Søren Dahlgaard Born in 1973. Lives and works in Copenhagen. www.sorendahlgaard.com Education: 1997-02 Slade School of Fine Arts, University College London, UK.

SELECTED INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS/PERFORMANCES: 2008 The Dough Warrior landscape painting performance, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark. Dough Portraits. The National Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark. Søren Dahlgaard – The Dough Warrior painting show! Gallery Poulsen Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark. Challenging Dough, Stalke galleri, Kirke Sonnerup, Denmark. 2007 Over The Hedge – Inside The Dough – Into The Paint, Falkener Project Cph, DK. 2002 Dirty Dessert, The Dennis Gallery, London, UK. The Island, Ovengaden Center for Contemporary Art, Cph, DK. 1998 Dirty Dessert - New Work UK, Chisenhale Gallery, London, UK.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS, VIDEO SCREENINGS & PERFORMANCES: 2008 Wonder, Singapore Biennale 2008, Singapore. Emergency Room, Galerie Taïss, Paris. Dough Portraits at Interregnum. PSi – Performance Studies International, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Emergency Room, PAN, Palazzo delle Arti Napoli, Italy. Dreams, The National Gallery, Denmark. Portrait painting by Dough Warrior performance, CAMP X - International Contemporary Theater, Copenhagen. The Schauwerk – Black Box Project, Cantonal Library of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Trogen, Switzerland. 2007 International Prize for Performance, Galleria Civica Museum of contemporary art, Trento, Italy. Emergency Room, P.S.1 Contemporary Arts Center MoMA, New York. Emergency Room, Ileana Tounta contemporary arts center, Athens. Four Fridays, Gallery Poulsen, Cph, DK. WHEW Falkener Project, Cph, DK. 2006 Emergency Room in Time exhibition, Nicolaj kunsthal, Cph, DK. Stafetten, gallery First-to-the-right, Cph. DK. 2005 1. Prize, DNA (Diesel-New-Art Award) Galleri Edition, Cph. DK. Architect & Design center Oslo, Norway and gallery Glas, Stockholm, Sweden. 2004 Video screening Wall Riding and concert with Silo, ICA (Institute of Contemporary art), London, UK. 2002-04 Pilot project on hydroponic food-production on a small coral island, Maldives (Indian Ocean) a two-year project. Report for ADB (Asian Development Bank) in association with Rambøll consultancy, Denmark. 54

2002 4th Video Marathon, Art in General, New York. MEDITATIONS, AB Gallery, Mexico City. BLICK – New Nordic Film & Video, NIFCA (Nordic Institute For Contemporary Art), Helsinki, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Pori Art Museum, Finland, ARKEN Art Museum, Ishøj, DK, München Kunstverein, Germany, Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz, Baltic art center, Visby – touring to 17 other museums worldwide. 2001 Nomad art film festival touring: Berkeley, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland. TAKE OFF 20:01, ARoS Art Museum, Aarhus, DK Becks Futures2, Student Film and Video Prize touring to: ICA, London, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool, Sotheby’s, New York, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle. 1999 PROMS 4, Brandts Kunsthal, Odense. DK. 3rd prize, Canon Photography Competition, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. ArtLink/Sotheby’s international exhibition, Sotheby’s, Berlin, Germany. Bank Side Browser Archive, Tate Modern, London. 1998 Spring exhibition Charlottenborgs Kunsthal, Cph, DK. Tube, Nicolaj Kunsthal Contemporary Arts Center, Cph, DK.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS: The Danish Arts Foundation. The Copenhagen City Council Collection. The Schauwerk – Black Box collection & archieve, Cantonal Library of Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Trogen, Switzerland. All images: Copyrights® Søren Dahlgaard. Text: Anders Kold. Translation: Rachel Morgan. Graphic design: flink. Print: First edition of 1000. Copenhagen, November, 2008. Acknowledgements: Photographers Mikkel Tjellesen, Jon Norddahl, Jasper Spanning. Filmdirector & editor Thomas Busk, baguette tailor & architect Michael Droob, cinematographer Manuel Claro, filmproducer Kevin Bendix, engineer Jacob Aisen. Music composers Frederik Ammitzbøll, Klaus Ammitzbøll. Actor Mikkel Bender, Svante Lindeburg, Rasmus Kieffer. Henrik Menné, Troels Carlsen, Kristian Hornsleth, Thierry Geoffrey/Colonel, Ulrik Weck, Juna Bae, Tati Meir, The Danish Arts Council, graphic designers Jan Bilgrav, Mette Flink. Colourgrading Pixelsmed, documentary journalists Jonas Steene & Lasse Mortensen. Models AnnaNicoline, Pernille Koch. Copywriter Claus Christensen, curator Anders Kold, resort Naseem - Sri Lanka, special assistant Eskil, special consultant Amani Naseem & Karen Lybye. Gallery Poulsen Contemporary, Stalke Galleri & Falkener Project. Office of Søren Dahlgaard.