The Undergang Armchair

After a nice week of restructuring and thinking about the program, we are back and stronger than ever! We are joined today by the inquisitive and able artist Joachim Fleinert who is currently showing at the Hasselblad Center in Gothenberg, Sweden with an ambitious project. He is also currently showing during Riga Photo Month. He has recently returned to Copenhagen after a stint in both Sweden and England. Join us as we talk about moving away, coming home, building networks and the beauty of 100 year old images. And of course, we talk about his work. We are introducing a topic for each episode from now on which will serve as a talking point and a conversation starter with the guests and hopefully guide us to a clearer understanding of the person in the armchair. The topic for today is Inclusion, which we used as an opportunity to bitch! Good times. www.undergang.net

The talented and understated Valérie Collart came by and sat in the armchair this week in order to tell us about her work. We also got to talking about the benefits and drawbacks to having a practice in Copenhagen, about how to know if an object is a sculpture or a photograph and about crying in front of a Rothko painting. It's a great talk! www.undergang.net

This week we have master of talent and hard work on the show, John Copeland. He dropped by in order to share some of his wisdom about working methods, how to not go crazy from all the painting, and about developing style, exhibition by exhibition. His solo show is up now at V1 Gallery. www.undergang.net

We are very proud to bring you guys our first exploration into new waters with these conversations recorded live at the 1000 Books Art Book Festival here in Copenhagen. This a a new format for the show and like most newborns it's a little wobbly on it's feet, but quite endearing. We spoke with many different publishers of books about many subjects, learned about the current renaissance in art books, about the autonomy of creating your own content and made some new friends. Many thanks to those who took time to talk with us, and of course to the organizers of the festival. This is a special episode, so please enjoy and once again, please help us spread the word. Links to all the publishers and more info at www.undergang.net

Episode number 25! We are a quarter century old in podcast years, and we are real happy about it. Today we have Mette Kit Jensen, a talented and uncompromising artist from Denmark, but educated in Germany. This gives her somewhat of an outsider's view of the Copenhagen art work, and we had a very interesting talk about that among many other things such as the accessibility of art, using an RV as an art piece and making your professors lie on the floor in order to see your work.

Gang, this week we are proud and honored to have Adam Jeppesen sit in the armchair. The talented thinker, traveler and photographer put up a heroic effort to come on the show, and we recorded this one over two parts, on in the basement of a cinema and the other at the Copenhagen airport. He's a champion, and you can hear it in his tales of epic modern day travels. It's a great talk, you can hear about growing up in two countries, working in exchange for free equipment and how being an undercover video journalist led to making quiet images on his own. Stellar talk. Check Adam out at: www.adamjeppesen.com

Time marches forward and so does the show. This week we have an inspiring talk with the multi-talented Daisy Løvendahl. If you haven't heard about her, it's probably because she quit the art world some years back. But she still makes beautiful images. This is a really good one, and we tackle many tough subjects, so strap yourselves in and enjoy!

Hey peoples, we're back again with episode 22, featuring a fantastic chat with Asbjørn Skou. He is such an interesting person it was hard to stick to the subject of art but we just managed to pull it off. He talks about growing up with the activist DIY crowd, about critical engagement and answers the question; "why make art?" Oh, and about the identities of cities, reading science fiction and anarchy. Let's just say we talked about just about everything. Folks, this is a great one.

Welcome back to episode 21 featuring Ivan Andersen. We have a good talk about turning slacker-dom into an interest in art, the advantages of not trying to be an artist in New York and about not knowing your own secrets. His show opens this Friday at Gallery Bo Bjerggaard, and it is his best work yet. Check it.

Episode 20! We are kicking off this mini-milestone with a killer talk with Richard Colman. He was kind enough to sit down with us at V1 Gallery on the eve of his opening and talk some shit with us. We got to many subjects, including treating art school like a trade school, about why hard work is the most important thing of all and about finding the perfect shade of green.

Hey gang, welcome to episode 19. Time flies eh? This week we have a great sit down with Artist Naja Maria Lundstrøm who is showing right now at Overgaden Institute for Contemporary Art. We hear about her strange start in her teenage years, about Denmark and the Danes, and about making political art work which isn't just the usual leftist drivel. Oh, and about building a gym in an art space. Go work out there!

Hello friends and welcome to another episode of our show! This week we talk with Ruth Campau and learn why growing up solo in the provinces is similar to working as a professional artist, about working in a private hospital in London and about finding the perfect personal working method. Afterwards, you can go check out her work on her website, or if you are here in Copenhagen, at Marianne Friis Gallery. Links below. Enjoy!

Hi gang, this week we got yet another good one for you, this time from a foreign land. The bright and talented Italian artist Marco Mazzoni was in town for his solo show at gallery B15 and he took the time to sit down with us and tell us about his vision. We learned about the ideas underpinning his latest works, about why artists shouldn't have websites, talked a little Italian politics and even heard an alternate take on the birth of the mafia. Sit down with us and get a rare insight into a quiet and thoughtful artist. Plus, stick around until the end, we have a special surprise guest coming by the studio to tell us a little secret. Holler!

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Kevin Malcolm, an intelligent and driven Scottish artist living here in Copenhagen. We got to discuss critical theory and academic style art making, and we got to ask him some questions we've been meaning to get to. We also hear about growing up in Glasgow, the pitfalls of studying art, and about the importance of building a network of like-minded artists anywhere you might work. Join us for a smart talk about art, theory and practice. And if you are in CPH go see his show!

Photographer, traveler and printer Stig Stasig let us into his studio for a solid talk. We cover a lot of ground and hear about how left-wing politics led him from painting to photography, opened doors for him in communist Russia, and about how digital photography led him to start as a photo gravure printer. We also talked about how image making processes inform types of work, and about the need for tactility when making personal work. Hell, we even got on to the topic of the future of photography. Tune in for a good one. If you are in CPH he is having a solo show at MOHS Exhibit this Friday the 14th, 2014. See hand made gravure prints from a master photographer! More at www.undergang.net

The incredibly friendly and very talented artist Carl Krull invited us up to his tower studio and showed us his new drawings in preparation for his upcoming solo show this fall. We got to enjoy the view of both the city and the works (they look killer) and had a really nice talk. Along the way we heard about how a 3 month road trip can lead to an entirely new technique, how every artist should have 5 studios and about why it's good to go to art school in an entirely different country.

Asger Carlsen graces the armchair for episode 13, and let us tell you, this one is relevant for everyone interested in art. The key issue at hand is, if you want to find lasting, interesting work, then you need to investigate art. You need to engage and have a dialog with art, especially if you don't understand it the first time around. Talking with Asger about his work perfectly illustrated the need for this level of investigation, and we got a lot out it. Along the way we learn about how he got started as a crime-scene photographer, how he drifted to New York (and hasn't come back, yet...) and how he started making his unique images. Join us for another great episode.

Yep, that's right folks, the generous and engaged Jonathan Meese took a moment before the opening of his solo show at Gallery Bo Bjerggaard to hang out with us and have a talk. We got a couple of great ideas out of it as well as one of our truisms smashed. We didn't think that the genius artist who is discovered and brought forward into the light (if you call the current art system, warts and all, the light) existed anymore. But Jonathan is exactly that, and continues to live the "real" artist life, with most of his time in the studio, actually making work, not out self promoting. Jonathan is not a man without ideas and he shares generously with them. Join us for a compelling and interesting talk.

Hi Team, We've been getting a lot of questions about who we are and what we do lately, so we've made a short episode this week in order to explain ourselves a little. Our friend Laura Palmer has graciously helped out by asking Ando a few questions about his life and about the undergang. This episode is for anybody who has been wondering who the hell is this guy, and what is this gang about? We'll be back next week with some really exciting new conversations, so in the meantime find us on twitter or write us a mail eh? [email protected].

We're blasting into 2014 with one of the best conversations yet. We met with gallery owner David Risley and asked the question: are Danes lazy? The answer affects all of us in the art world. We also manage to hear about his past in the Midlands, about going to art school and about sliding into curating shows more or less by accident. Go see the current show at his gallery, it's a clear bump up in thoughtfulness and quality over the usual fare. Up until Feb 2nd, 2014

This week we got a lucky break and got to visit a talented artist who is in the middle of developing a new exhibition. Who you ask? Why it's Jacob Noel of course! We have a great talk about what it's like to try to quit being an artist (and fail), about process methods and about needing to constantly defend ones work. Folks, it's a good one. We will be (sort of) of closed for the holidays, so the next conversation will be on Wednesday the 8th of January. But stay tuned for our holidays listening recommendations and survival guide!

This week we are graced with the presence of Sophie Dupont, and we have a really nice talk about her life and her art. We hear about her start as a dancer, her detour to art school, and how it has all led to exploring the wide world of performance art. Links and more on the undergang armchair website.

The Australian wunderkind graces us with his keen mind in the studios today. His capacity for thoughtfulness is indeed quite special, and we cover many topics like being an artist in Australia, intellectualism and recognizing the moment when he decided he wanted to be an artist. We'll miss you buddy!

Hello team undergang, we have a special guest this week: Thomas Øvlisen. He has a show opening this Friday the 29th of Nov, at V1 gallery. He was kind enough to sit down with us at the gallery after installing the show, and we got a good conversation out of it. We manage to cover a lot of topics including American art schools vs Danish art schools, why it's easier to get work done in Denmark and how to deal with a sudden drop in you seratonin levels. All this, and we talk a bunch about his work and about the show he is having. Have a listen to the episode, and we'll see you at the opening on Friday!

The talented painter and sculptor stops by the studio to tell us about his slow development into a professional artist, what he likes about working with people, and about how one must stay relevant in order to work professionally.

We managed to drag our good friend Jacob away from his insane work load and have a nice talk with him. He tells us about the process of finding out that he was a photographer and not a film maker, about how image making helped him be less shy, and about his 2 years in Greenland. And he makes fun of us. It's a good one.

One of the heavyweights of the danish art scene invites us in and drops some serious knowledge on everything from the southern jutland dialect to the dark years of danish art in the 70's. Claus is definite insider in the danish art scene, and a big thinker, so join us for a wide-ranging talk about his beginnings in both art and life, and his role as an intellectual in the danish art scene.

We meet up with the London based artist Charlie Woolley and talk to him about his early modeling career, his radio career and most of all his artistic career. Not bad for a young man of 32 years old.

For out first ever podcast our old friend Gus stops by and tells us a little about what it was like to move to Copenhagen, dealing with the weather and how his idea of what he does has changed over the years.