A Past Future or a Future Past, 2019

Discarded plaster parts and form elements dating from the last half of the twentieth century. Donated to the artists by Thorvaldsens Museum. 390 x 765 cm.

In the museum’s inner courtyard, plaster fragments are placed in groups. A head here, a hand there. Also elements that are not readily identifiable.

Together, these discarded casting elements form an installation-like or sculptural arrangement. The very moment a plaster element is placed outdoors at the mercy of wind and weather, it will start to decompose. Both the whiteness and the shape will erode; it is a process of change that will continue outside our control.

Thorvaldsens Museum, containing such a wealth of perfect bodies, now becomes a framework for a narrative of decomposition, a deconstruction. The eternal gods, immaculate heroes, and elevated geniuses behind the rows of windows are looking out on what could be themselves, as fragments, destroyed, dismembered, discarded.

This work appeals to our sense of care, our sense of order, our respect for museum artifacts. In time, the rain will make traces reminiscent of blood from the severed body parts, only in negative: bright marks on a dark background. Could it be significant that there are two female heads among the body parts?

The place is already a mausoleum of sorts, since the key figure is laid to rest here. This very spot is the site of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s discreet grave, located at the heart of the museum and at the center of the building.

Decay is a common condition, of course. Inside the museum, too, there are original plaster casts which can hardly be described as white. They are dusted over regularly, but air pollution and touch affect the plaster sculptures. These figures are the first casts of the clay sculptures made by Thorvaldsen and thus the definitive model for the marble sculpture or bronze cast.

With their installation, Hesselholdt & Mejlvang undermine the idea of eternal life and eternal beauty, which notably antique art is considered by some to be an exponent of. They reference the faults and by-products inherent in the creative process and the fear of decay. Above all, they plead with us for an instinctive reaction to this.

For more information about the Thorvaldsens Museum follow this link:

https://www.thorvaldsensmuseum.dk/en

For more information about Hesselholdt & Mejlvang try this:

https://www.hesselholdt-mejlvang.dk/

All photos: courtesy of I DO ART Agency who retain all copyright to their use and reproduction.