The Undergang Armchair

This is it folks, perhaps the most helpful episode we have ever concocted. And it's all thanks to Ditte. For those who don't know, she is the co-founder and co-runner of Green is Gold, an exhibition and curatorial platform here in Copenhagen and a talented artist in her own right. We cover so much ground in our talk, and it's chock full of good lessons and tips for you up and comers out there. For everyone really. We got through the hidden importance of having a studio, about working analogically, about starting and running a non-profit exhibition space, and she ever shares her secret weapon for getting curators to care about your work. Oh, and she fires some shots at her hometown. It's everything we ever wanted, and so much more. www.undergang.net

This is the third and final episode of January, and today on the show we have Ida Højgaard Thjømøe. You might not recognize that name, but Ida is the young gun who has launched a new art magazine called AF Art, and you know what? It's good. The design is nice, the art is interesting, but perhaps the best thing is that it looks and reads quite differently than your average art rag. They have the first issue out, and the second is coming this Friday, the 29th of January. She joins us here to talk about how the magazine came about, about the goals of the project, and about the problem of academic writing in the art world. She is sharp as a tack, and you can bet you'll be seeing more of her in the future. www.undergang.net

Welcome back to the final installment of our talk with the engaged and enthusiastic director of the Danish National Gallery of Art, Mikkel Bogh. Last week we heard about where Mikkel comes from, and what brought him to his current job. This week we hear about the challenges and compromises one must make in a position like his. He talks about the inherent politics of his job and the role of the state in the day to day affairs of the museum, as well as his goals for the future of the institution. It's a rare chance to hear about the daily life of a museum director, and it's really interesting stuff. Along the way we hear about dealing with cutbacks, finding time to stay passionate about the job, and some really good advice for young artists out there aspiring to a foot in the door. It's a must hear. www.undergang.net

An interesting thing about being an adult in the this crazy world is that at a certain point you realize that you can't do it all. That is, unless you are Mikkel Bogh. He is the director of The National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst), and the former head of the Royal Art Academy and he really clarified some things about the upper echelons of art institutions for us. We thought that the system favored the pencil pusher type, the business man, the high school principal, and their role was mostly just to slap reality into the face of artist types and scream we can't afford it at everybody. Boy were we wrong, at least when it comes to Mikkel. Like everything, passion leads the charge. Join us for part one of an interesting talk about finding a path into art history, the difference between teaching and leading an educational institute and about keeping a passion intact while pursuing a career. www.undergang.net

Today we have the last episode of the year, it's just a great one to go out on. We have Kasper Eistrup on the show. The artist Kasper Eistrup. The musician Kasper Eistrup. More or less every Dane knows who Kasper is, but for y'all out there in the larger world, he was the front man for one of the largest danish bands ever, Kashmir. They made music for over 20 years, and they are huge over here. Also abroad, but especially here. But this show is about art, and Kasper has been making art since even before he began playing music, and now has put the music on pause in order to pursue a career as an artist. He's been showing work consistently for over 8 years, and now he just had his big solo show at Gallery Benoni this fall. So join us for the last show of 2015, and hear about Kasper's work and life. www.undergang.net

Today we have a dose of calm energy and thoughtfulness by the name of Rune Bosse to combat whatever crazy is nipping at your heels. His practice is often performative, and mostly with an eye to nature, and it's beautiful work. We only recently saw it for the first time, but it immediately struck us in some of the same ways that Felix Gonzales-Torres' work does, so we reached out, and here he is. And the thing is, he's still a student! He studied at Olafur Elliasen's Institute for Spacial Experiments, and is finishing up at the royal academy at the end of this academic year. He's just getting started really. So join us for an enlightening talk with a young up and coming artist out there. We're betting the farm you'll be seeing more of him in the near future. www.undergang.net

Today we are joined by Kirsten Dehlholm, the founder and artistic director of the groundbreaking performance group Hotel Pro Forma, who have been staging extravagant and spectacular performances for 30 years in Denmark and abroad. Her group is currently exhibiting their first ever museum style show at GLstrand here in Copenhagen, and it's well worth a visit, especially for visual artists looking for works created from a different starting point. For us it was an eye-opening and thought-provoking conversation, and it was especially interesting to think about her work as a departure from the traditional route for visual artists. We can all learn from this, and it helped us remember that we don't all have to find the same way. We can't recommend the show at GLstrand enough, and it's only up until Nov 29th, so there are only a few days left. www.undergang.net

Today we are rebroadcasting one of the best conversations we've ever had on, the venerable Darren Almond. He spoke with us last year on the eve of his opening at Gallery Bo Bjerggaard. He was sharp, he was open, and he was kind. Probably not incidentally, he is a fascinating and thoughtful artist, and he makes great work. Put all these things together, and you get a great conversation with a great artist. Enjoy! www.undergang.net

Today we have the pleasure of sharing a talk with you about an underrepresented place in the art world, the middle. Troels Aagaard joins us for a candid and honest talk not only about his life and work, but also about being at a certain, often overlooked, point in ones career. There is so much talk about those just starting and those who've reached the top, but what about the majority who are in between? From the outside you may appear as if you've made it, and under most criteria perhaps you have, but the choices you have to make and maneuvers you still have to plan are still of critical importance. Join us for this interesting conversation about Troels' fascinating work, the jolts which get you started again and about this elusive middle space. www.undergang.net

This is our first ever live recording in front of an audience, and we have some great guests on as well. Augusta Atla & Nikos Branidis were kind enough to sit down with us and a small audience at the Museums Building and talk about their show there. We covered a lot of interesting topics, both about their show and past, but also about living in places which take culture seriously, the role of self in artworks and about their choice in materials for the show. Be sure to also check out their show at Banja Rathnov Gallery before November 18th. www.undergang.net

Do you guys also miss old school shmack talking? Then join us for a refreshing talk with the unfettered Daniel Richter. It's nice to hear somebody speak openly in the normally quite guarded art world, and it's even nicer when it's somebody who has something to say. Daniel Richter is obviously a talented painter, and he has a great way of talking about art & life, and as far we can tell, there isn't a difference between them in Daniel's world. He talks about his work, about the process of becoming aware of art and about finding his own path. He also fires a few shots, and it's a joy. Take that! www.undergang.net

We are still playing catch up around the headquarters here, but today's guest, Ryan Gander, certainly isn't. The extremely prolific and hard working artist took the time to sit down with us and talk on the occasion of his opening at David Risley Gallery. We had a warmhearted talk about not being able to turn it off, about the distinction between success and not success and he lays the smack down on state funded art works. In the meantime he also parted the clouds of doubt in Ando's head, and helped spread the universal message of art and change to the world, so don't miss this one. www.undergang.net

The indestructible Rose Eken graces the armchair today to talk about her current show at V1 Gallery. Rose's works deal with the artists space, both literally and internally, and the relationship of that space to the world at large, both the art world and otherwise. She works in many different materials, most of them very tactile and fragile, but this show is all in ceramics. Join us for a talk about fragility, the dangers of being a "female" artist and about the artist's dialog with materials. www.undergang.net

The installation & sound artist duo Vinyl, Terror & Horror are making some of the most atmospheric and plain old outer-limits works right now. Their works are tough to describe, but such a pleasure to experience. They cut up and fuse together record players, vinyl and all sorts of audio and light equipment in order to create the art equivalent of fun house mirrors, and pack a mean punch as a live performance too. Be sure to check out the video of the installation on our site, and enjoy our talk. www.undergang.net

Hi gang, get ready for this one. Jes Brinch, one of the great art warriors of our time, took the time to come on the show and the results were just what we needed. In a time of increasing monoculture in art (and perhaps life), it's a pleasure to speak with an artist like Jes, who is tirelessly fighting the good fight for a stranger, more fun and more chaotic art practice and world. He holds no punches, and accordingly gets away with some pretty cool projects, like blowing up hot dog stands and knocking over city buses in the center of Copenhagen. He sat down with us and spoke about some of the challenges of working with his practice, about fighting against hierarchy and about simply expecting more from art and the art world around us. Don't miss it. www.undergang.net

Displacement is the title of the show today, and the Swedish artist Runo Lagomarsino is our distinguished guest. The name comes of course from our talk, and it relates to something dear to the heart, to home, and to something important in art. His story and family history are very interesting, and they are very much reflected in his work and perhaps more importantly, in his life. Join us to hear about the role of politics in art, being displaced, and inviting your father to throw eggs at a sculpture of Christopher Columbus. www.undergang.net

Today's guest is perhaps the kindest man in the art world, Bo Christian Larsson. He's a magician of art, he works with his hands and his heart, and he's a pleasure to talk to. He has lived an adventurous and curious life, and you can see that reflected in his way of making art and living life. Some (like us) could be jealous of the adventures he has been on, and wonder how it's possible to live a life like that, but it's really quite simple. Listen and learn what being open hearted and inquisitive can lead you to. Enjoy! www.undergang.net

Hi gang. Hoo boy, what a show we got for you today. The immense talent Robert McNally took a moment to sit down with us and share some of his thoughts and it was, if we may say so, really fun. It's a pleasure to speak with an artist like him, an outspoken and honest man, and it's all backed up by one of the hardest work ethics we've seen. The world of art can sometimes be a lonely and understated place, so was a breath of fresh air to meet Rob. We talked about the similarities between comedians and artists, about working with difficult materials and about having self confidence and belief in yourself. Don't miss this one gang. www.undergang.net

Hello friends, we are back! And yes, we are still here to talk about art. Yet again, we have a great guest on the program today, the very thoughtful Christoph Ruckhäberle. He is of course the renown German painter out of the Leipzig school, if you follow such things, and he was here in town for the opening of his solo show at Gallery Nicolai Wallner. There is a lot of great stuff in this talk, but some of the best things were him talking about using techniques as tools for creating contrast and using sources from art history as tools for applying these techniques. Please enjoy. www.undergang.net

Today we are talking graffiti, art and transitions. We have the biggest graffiti and street artist in Denmark on the show today, Husk Mit Navn, which means remember my name in Danish. He is a seriously prolific artist, just take a look at his site to see everything he does. He stays in his studio, which he calls an adult version of his childhood room, and makes drawings, paintings and sculptures about all of our lives and the silly mundane moments we share. Along the way you can hear about how the internet is changing graffiti, about scraping inspiration off the floor and how transitioning off the streets and onto the walls. Enjoy! www.undergang.net

This week we talk with the talented graphic novelist Halfdan Pisket. He is two-thirds of the way through his trilogy of books about his father, and joins us to talk about the long road leading to this point. His second book, Kakerlak, just came out, and has been garnering critical interest here in Denmark. We have a mature discussion about the choice to grow up and about both learning and not learning about oneself through making work. Join us and hear about hard work, changing opinions about our parents and about shifting our perception of time through making art. www.undergang.net

Walking thinking walking. Today on the show we are joined by the artist and art magician Matthew Stone, who we caught up with on the eve of his show opening here in Copenhagen at V1 Gallery. It was a cold evening, and because time was short we ended up going for a walk together to the central station in Copenhagen in order to meet a friend of his arriving from London. We walked and we talked, and we ended up hearing much about Matthew's schooling, his breakthrough in his work, and about the difference between being naive and being earnest. Enjoy!

We live in a strange world, and an even stranger art world. Luckily William Powhida is here to firmly poke a stick in the eye of the art world, and we love it. We were lucky enough to get to sit down with him right before the preview of his exhibition here in Copenhagen, at Gallery Poulsen. We got to talk about his work, the art world, and the simple joys of quality shit talking. But really this episode is an in-depth look at the New York art world as well as being the personal story of an artist trying to make sense of what he does and what he takes part in. It's good fodder for all of us out here trying to make work. Because it's tough in these street yo. Enjoy our talk! www.undergang.net

Today we are joined by the unique and certain Lawrence Weiner. As most of you probably know, Lawrence is a prolific and oft exhibited conceptual artist who has a rich body of work behind him. We caught up with him before the opening of his show together with Per Kirkeby here in Copenhagen at Gallery Susanne Ottesen, and he stunned us with his eloquence and his certainty. Literally. Join us for this talk with a legend of the contemporary art world, and see if you can hold on to your hats. www.undergang.net

Stone upon stone upon stone. The name comes from ideas that today's guest, Erik Steffensen, lays out for us; ideas about the basis of photography, about what it means, and about what making art means. It's a really engaging and absorbing talk, and we encourage you to listen with your ears and your mind. He works mostly in traditional black & white materials, but has a refreshing take on using them, bypassing the regular rules of photography and just twisting and pulling the materials to fulfill his needs. The rest of us uptight photo nerds would do well to internalize some of his attitudes towards the medium. Be that as it may, the truth is that his words apply to all forms of art making, indeed, perhaps to a philosophy of living life itself. Heavy words perhaps, you'll just have to hear it for yourself. www.undergang.net

For those of you who don't know MK Brown, you actually might. Mike Judge is a fan. She has been making cartoons for over 40 years, and she has been published in National Lampoon, The New Yorker and Playboy magazine among many others. She also made an animation series called Dr. N!Godatu, which ran on the Tracy Ullman show, next to a then unknown short animation series known as The Simpsons. On top of all of this she is an accomplished painter, and has been showing her work just as long as she has been making cartoons. She was kind enough to sit down with me at her home in California and tell us about her work and her story. It's really good stuff. If you like the show, be sure to subscribe to it. You can do that via our delightful website: www.undergang.net

As we timidly emerge into 2015, bleary eyed and full of hopeful yawns, we rejoice in the release of the first episode of the year! We have the sharp and thoughtful Fryd Frydendahl in the armchair today, and she shares much about her life with us. She has lived in New York for many years, so we naturally got to talking about what home is and what it means. She also talks about working from the trauma bank, the happening in photography and about what it's like to live in an occupied house. Don't miss this one folks! www.undergang.net

Hi gang, what a show we have for you today! Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen joins us and shares much knowledge and experience. We got to talk about urgency, building life experience and about how being a professional artist might only be for people with no other option. We also got to talking about her show, Being Human Being, which is up at Nikolaj Kunsthal right now. It is good and should be seen, preferably by you. Have a listen.

Hi team, we are getting into the swing of season two of this show, and it's been real good. This episode we are introducing the theme of this season; The Process of Making, and there is no better guest to kick off this theme than Jasper Sebastian Stürup. He draws, he paints, he makes sculptures, but not least of all, he has been making art books for over 20 years. Join us for a rock solid talk about the desire to be an artist at a young age, living in many different cities and making artists books for all these years. www.undergang.net

We are joined today by the sharp and collected Erwin Wurm, who joined us for a quick glass of champagne before his preview at Gallery Bo Bjerggaard. He tells about his youth, about how he became a sculptor and about how he found his true self in his work. Along the way he drops some big tips for people who are interested in being working artists. (Hint: You have to kill your father. Twice.) We are also making some improvements to the show, so Ando breaks down the plan for season two of this program. Join us! www.undergang.net

Guess what gang? The show is one year old today, so, hurrah! But really it's all just business not birthday cake, we are thinking about the future. And who's helping us with that? Today's guest, Jan Jin Kaisen. She graces the armchair and helps us think about art theory in a more grounded manner, as well as telling us about her work and her process along the way. This is another great talk. Onwards! www.undergang.net

At long last we return, with a great talk in tow. We are joined today by Joshua Mittleman, the mysterious American you might have seen lurking around Copenhagen. He is in fact a very engaged and intelligent guy, and he shares some of his vast knowledge and interests with us. He is a former biochemist, a working artist, he runs an exhibition space with his wife and is also a teacher. Now he has curated a show together with another former guest of this show, Gus Sondin-Kung. The show opens this Friday at New Shelter Plan, and comes highly recommended, as pretty much everything they touch is gold. Enough said. In the meantime enjoy our talk with Joshua Mittleman. You might even hear about processing bull testicles.

We are rebroadcasting this absolutely fantastic talk we had with Jonathan Meese this week, because it's one of the all time best. We are in the middle of a thousand projects, so we thought the mad wisdom of this wizard would be just what we needed. He tells us about being a samurai in the brain, being pushed and dropped places and about bad adult thoughts. This one is really really good.

Today we had an immersive talk with Morten Schelde while walking around his new show, Red Noise Meditation. He has created a 42m (137ft) long work which is an experience to say the least. We had a nice chat while him about the theater of the mind, how to stay in the work and about how making covers for a fictional death metal group helped start his practice. This one is also full of practical advice for artists. www.undergang.net

This week we are joined again by the unstoppable Carl Krull. His show is opening this Friday at V1 Gallery, and we invited him to sit down with us again and have another chat. This time we got a little deeper into his thoughts on what is important in life and work as an artist. We also got to talking about how embarrassing things make you feel alive, about taking yourself seriously, priorities in life and of course, ancient Olmec heads. Enjoy! www.undergang.net

This week we checked out the Alternative Art Fair Copenhagen (Alt_Cph), and we got the chance to wander around and interact with the nice folks there. It was a great fair and there was a really good feeling of community, exploration and play. We chatted with some of the groups, heard some performances and otherwise enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Be sure to check out the links for the different groups we spoke with on our site, there is a wealth of information there. www.undergang.net

Today we move into new territory with our first guest musician, Troels Abrahamsen. He is the talented lead singer of the Danish band Veto and a prolific solo artist. He sits down in the armchair and we end up treading much ground together. He tells about the importance of making music instead of drinking, about how the good artistic choices are not always good for business and we talk about vulnerability and the magic of the piano. And at the end of the talk he graces us with a performance of an unreleased solo track! Have a seat guys. www.undergang.net

Hey gang, we're back for the first show since summer vacation, and it's a good one. We are joined by the inimitable Darren Almond who, aside from being a next-level artist, turns out to be a fascinating man to talk to. We had a nice long chat with him the day of his opening here in CPH and he was extraordinarily generous with his time and wisdom. Tune in for this one gang.

In our final rerun of the summer season we are sharing another one of the favorites from the archive. Sophie Dupont is a dedicated and driven performance artist who has been traveling around and performing her works at an intense pace since we last spoke with her. Her work is growing and changing, and people are paying attention. Join us for a nice talk about her start as a dancer, about the changing nature of her work, and about her influences and peers in the performance world. Also, be sure to see her upcoming performances at the Chart Art Fair next week.

This week we are sharing another talk from the catalog which we think might actually be one of the best. Joseph Griffiths is a talented and bright Australian artist who also happens to be one of the most articulate people we have ever met. We had a great talk about being an art student, about traveling, about growing as an artist and about articulating your art practice. Not to be missed gang.

Today we are featuring an old favorite from the past, our talk with the Magnum photographer Jacob Aue Sobol. It's one of the most well received talks we've done, so we are re-releasing it for those of you who might not have heard it. Jacob tells us about his past, how wanting to be a filmmaker led him to photography and about his two years in eastern Greenland. Ando also talks about where he is and about the prize he recently won. It's a good one friends. www.undergang.net

Who says that the dog days of summer should be without something nice to talk about? We got a nice and long chat today with Edit Vizer, a multidisciplinary super woman who works in the fields of technology, interaction design, art, and many other areas. We cover a lot of ground, hit a lot of topics, and along the way we talked about the language of academia, design fiction, daring to explore farther and the connection between Hungary and Denmark. Grab a seat, enjoy the sun, and dig in! www.undergang.net

Today we are joined by the brilliant and creative film director Diana Manfredi aka Spaghetto. She is here in Copenhagen filming for her new film, Twerkumentary, and found a moment to sit down with us to talk about the project. We talked about some of her previous films, about ending up in a music video ghetto, how culture spreads through modern media and about the twerking capital of Europe (it's not what you think). Go help her film get made here: twerkumentary.com www.undergang.net

Today we are joined by the talented and strong writer, Maja Lee Langvad. She has written three books about adoption, racism, nationalism, identity and culture in an unwavering and questioning voice. She is a well known debater in Denmark, and is currently on a tour of sorts promoting her third book, She Is Angry. Sit down and enjoy a deep and long talk about her life, her writing and her anger. www.undergang.net

We are blessed and honored to be joined this week by the astonishingly talented artist and thinker, Julie Nord. She has an exhibition up right now at the exhibition space Gammel Strand and it's an engrossing experience. Join us for an in depth talk about her life, her work, her travels and the difference between the individual person and the work. www.undergang.net

This week we are joined by Francesca Astesani, an Italian living in DK who is on a mission to bring the Danish art scene to a higher level. We have a fantastic talk about many realities about how art gets made, and we learned a lot on this one. Join us to hear about the changing nature of funding for the arts in DK, bring interest into the art world and about why breaking boundaries is important. Come have a seat and hear a great talk. www.undergang.net

Today in the midst of website chaos and falling idols we are joined by the face of calm himself, Jacob Fabricius. He is the directory of Charlottenborg Kunsthall here in Denmark, a curator, and a very nice man. Join us for a fantastic talk about the Dakar Biennial, the difference between being independent and employed, and the difference between the Danish and Swedish press. You can also hear about the great news we got this week as well as a little about our trip to Israel and the West Bank. Join us!

Today we are joined by the articulate and bright Helene Lundbye Petersen, founder of White Page Project. She was a talented curator who left the academic art world to start the project. White Page Project is an ambitious project with many goals, among which include overhauling the entire art system. Good stuff. We had an engaged and inspiring talk about the project, the need for a balanced world and the small things which make up all of us. Get ready, it's a great one.

Hi gang, the theme for today's episode is transition and we are lucky to be joined by the adept and generous photographer, Peter Funch. He is currently showing at V1 gallery with the first segment of his four part anthology about America. Part one is called Last Flight, and folks, it is spectacular. We had a great talk about his project, about the value of research and about the pioneer spirit. It's an interesting conversation which goes along with a fantastic show. Check em both out.

We are joined today by the man behind Distortion Festival, Thomas Fleurquin. Like the festival or not, one can't deny that the event is now part of the social fabric of Copenhagen, and it is here to stay. This years Distortion starts today in Nørrebro, so this timely talk touches on the changes in the festival, the history (and future) of the event, the people tsunami of 2011, and why he makes this party and no other. Join us for this interesting talk, and then we'll see you in the streets for the event!