Spejlinger

The exhibition Reflections reveals Keld Moseholm's long-standing interest in the ability of sculpture to mirror the viewer — both literally and figuratively. In the literal sense, Keld Moseholm often used mirrors and mirroring effects as a central element in his sculptures of the characteristic round figures, also known as the small fat men. Half and whole figures are reflected in polished surfaces, so that the sculpture draws its surroundings into the work — including the person looking at it.

The sculptures often depict these figures in absurd or challenging situations — they swing, balance on edges or tumble down. We can see our own existence and our own struggles mirrored in the physical exertions of the fat men and women.

The German sociologist Hartmut Rosa has used the concept of “resonance” to describe the mirroring and reflection that occurs when we are with other people, in nature, or looking at art. He first used the term in a critique of society's ever-increasing speed. In contrast to what Rosa has called “the acceleration society”, we find these small pockets of resonance, where we sense a form of contact and interplay with the world around us.

Keld Moseholm's sculptures can also be seen as figures of resonance. The small round figures toil away, some perilously close to catastrophe, and some of them could resemble distorted images of modern people who no longer think about what they are doing. Several of the sculptures are therefore a mirror of the acceleration society described above and of our endless struggle to be ever more efficient. Here we can see the absurdity of our efforts as a modern Sisyphus, compelled to roll the stone up the mountain every single day. But Keld Moseholm's sculptures are also figures of resonance in the sense that they freeze movement. They are sculptural moments in which the acceleration has, precisely, been halted. It is here, in these small pauses, that we can resonate with the world around us and hopefully enter into more meaningful connections with it. It is the pause that makes it possible to see ourselves and one another.

Reflections also highlights Moseholm's working process, from the first sketches to the finished bronze sculptures, showing how his works develop from idea to hard bronze. We hope that this presentation of the artist's method deepens the understanding of Keld Moseholm's humour as a serious matter. Reflections is therefore an invitation to see oneself and one's surroundings in a new way, and to make room for the connections that can arise when art and human being meet.

— Theis Vallø Madsen, art historian