Atropos, 2023. Linen, tufted yarn & stainless steel. 190 x 118 x 140 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Atropos, 2023. Linen, tufted yarn & stainless steel. 190 x 118 x 140 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Atropos (Detail), 2023. Linen, tufted yarn & stainless steel. 190 x 118 x 140 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleeper, 2023. Tree resin, cashmere wool & stainless steel. 26 x 93 x 7,5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleeper, 2023. Tree resin, cashmere wool & stainless steel. 26 x 93 x 7,5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleeper (Detail), 2023. Tree resin, cashmere wool & stainless steel. 26 x 93 x 7,5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Private Rage (II), 2023. Tufted yarn rug. 94 x 88 x 5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Feeder (I), 2023. Paraffin & epoxy. 67 x 13 x 10 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Clotho, 2023. Tufted yarn rug. 136 x 68 x 5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Clotho (Detail), 2023. Tufted yarn rug. 136 x 68 x 5 cm. Photo: Coh
Feeder (V), 2023. Paraffin & epoxy. 67 x 13 x 10 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Lachesis (Detail), 2023. Tufted yarn & stainless steel. 182 x 65 x 77 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Lachesis, 2023. Tufted yarn & stainless steel. 182 x 65 x 77 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Reclining Female Decoy, 2023. Tree resin & stainless steel. 7 x 5 x 9,5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Reclining Female Decoy, 2023. Tree resin & stainless steel. 7 x 5 x 9,5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Private Rage (I), 2023. Tufted yarn rug. 68 x 90 x 5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Mother, 2023. Dyed paraffin & epoxy. 83 x 32 x 19,5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Mother, 2023. Dyed paraffin & epoxy. 83 x 32 x 19,5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Domesticated God, 2023. Tufted yarn rug. 40 x 29 x 7 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Sleepers, 2023. Installation view, Gether Contemporary. Photo: Malle Madsen
Host, 2023. Aluminium. 65 x 14 x 9 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Host (Detail), 2023. Aluminium. 65 x 14 x 9 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Host, 2023. Aluminium. 65 x 14 x 9 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Threader, 2023. Tufted yarn rug. 60 x 14 x 7 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Beacon, 2023. Tufted yarn rug & bleach. 68 x 21 x 5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Bait, 2023. Tufted yarn rug & veil. 148 x 180 x 5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Bait, 2023. Tufted yarn rug & veil. 148 x 180 x 5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Bait (Detail), 2023. Tufted yarn rug & veil. 148 x 180 x 5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen
Head of Clotho, 2023. Tufted yarn rug. 65 x 52 x 5 cm. Photo: Malle Madsen

Sleepers, 2023
Solo exhibition, Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen DK

Kindly supported by:

Exhibition text by Sophia Handler:

(DK): CHRISTINE OVERVAD HANSEN – SLEEPERS

Tror man på skæbnen, tror man på et materiale og en arbejdsproces. En unik tråd, der bliver spundet

for hvert liv, målt ud, og til sidst kappet over. Det siges, at skæbnen er et håndværk, og at det

udføres af tre gudinder; søstrene Klotho, Lachesis og Atropos. Mytiske kvindefigurer, som i

Christine Overvad Hansens soloudstilling Sleepers viser os den magtposition, der ligger i at se,

observere, overvære og være vidner til livet, både vores eget og hinandens

Klotho spinder skæbnetråden. Fra hende udgår alt, og alts fortællinger. Men hun ser det ikke som

en begyndelse. Tråden er tynd, men sikker i hendes hænder. Hun har adgang til et blødt og stærkt

materiale fra livmoderen, og hendes tråde bliver bløde og stærke som det. Klothos ansigt er åbent

imens hun arbejder, hun ved, hvad hun gør, behøver ikke anstrenge sig, end ikke koncentrere sig

synderligt. Panden er fri for rynker, hun får ingen spændinger mellem øjenbrynene

Lachesis måler skæbnetråden ud. Hun gør det på øjemål. Tråden er stram, løs, ujævn, hurtig og

dirrende, føles næsten levende, som den glider mellem fingrene på hende. Dog ved hun, at hun

styrer den. Også selvom intet er helt nøjagtigt. Det er, som det er, tænker hun for sig selv og smiler.

Men hun ser det ikke som et forløb. Hun er let foroverbøjet, men hendes rygrad er eftergivelig som

tråden selv, ingen led låser sig fast, og hun behøver aldrig at skifte stilling

Atropos holder af at sige: så er det nok, for sig selv. Hun siger det lavt, og med tør stemme, men

alligevel får hendes søstre et lille chok hver gang. Lyden af saksen er abrupt, og dog yndefuld, som

en fugls kvidren, når Atropos klipper en skæbnetråd over. Nogle gange lukker hun øjnene, idet hun

klipper, så hun ikke når at se længden på den tråd, der falder for hendes fødder. Tråden opløses

allerede, mens den daler gennem luften. Atropos klipper på intuition. Det er saksens urytmiske lyd

og nok-stemmen, der løber som en kilde ned gennem en gammel landsby, fra hendes hjernes dybe

midte til sprækken i hendes mund, som styrer hendes bevægelser. Men hun ser det ikke som en

afslutning

Trådene danner mønstre, og det minder os om, hvor tæt vi hele tiden er på at røre ved en anden

skæbne. Men i vores dødelige hænder er skæbnematerialet usynligt, og det minder os om, at synet

er vores mest magtfulde sans. En kvindeskikkelse ser ud, som om hun har lagt sig til at hvile på de

øjne, der normalt hviler på hende. Det er ikke hendes øjne, og så alligevel. Hun forandrer udseende

med lyset. Hun er lavet af harpiks, vi ser lyset gå gennem hende, og det minder os om, at intet

menneske er uigennemtrængeligt, at lys og blikke også kan gå gennem hud

I sit arbejde med skulptur og performance forener Christine Overvad Hansen (f. 1988) ofte

klassiske narrativer med fænomener fra vores moderne virkelighed. Hendes værker er som en slags

nedsmeltede tidsmaskiner, hvor skikkelser fra græsk og antik mytologi møder det kapitalistiske

samfunds infrastruktur, og hvor stål og aluminium skildrer den levende krops uforudsigelige

bevægelsesmønstre. Centralt i hendes praksis ligger undersøgelsen af forskellige materialers

performative potentialer, og hvordan et materiale kan anvendes som virkemiddel i forskellige

situationer. Ved at studere og udfordre materialernes karakterer søger hun at skabe de ideelle

betingelser for, at skulpturelle møder kan åbne for en diskussion af menneskets mange fysiske og

mentale tilstande, relationer og magtforhold, på tværs af tid og rum

Udstillingstekst af Sophia Handler


(ENG): CHRISTINE OVERVAD HANSEN – SLEEPERS.

If we believe in destiny, we believe in a material and a working process. A unique thread, spun for

each life, measured out, and ultimately cut. It is said that destiny is a craft, carried out by three

goddesses; the sisters Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. Mythical female figures, as shown in

Christine Overvad Hansen’s solo exhibition, Sleepers, reveal the power inherent in observing,

overseeing, and bearing witness to life, both our own and others’

Clotho spins the thread of destiny. Everything, and the stories of everything, originates from her.

But she doesn’t see it as a beginning. The thread is thin but secure in her hands. She has access to a

soft and strong material from the womb, and her threads become soft and strong like that. Clotho’s

face is open as she works; she knows what she’s doing, doesn’t need to exert herself or even

concentrate much. Her forehead is free from wrinkles; there’s no tension between her eyebrows

Lachesis measures the thread of destiny by eye. The thread is taut, loose, uneven, fast, and

quivering, feeling almost alive as it slips through her fingers. Yet, she knows she can control it. Even

if nothing is entirely precise. “It is what it is,” she thinks to herself and smiles. But she doesn’t see it

as a process. She leans slightly forward, but her spine is as pliant as the thread itself, no joints

locking, and she never needs to change her position

Atropos likes to say to herself: “That’s enough.” She says it quietly, with a dry voice, yet her sisters

are startled every time. The sound of the scissors is abrupt but graceful, like a bird’s chirping, when

Atropos cuts a thread of destiny. Sometimes, she closes her eyes as she cuts, so she doesn’t see the

length of the thread that falls at her feet. The thread already dissolves as it descends through the air.

Atropos cuts on intuition. It’s the scissors’ irregular sound and the “enough” voice that runs like a

stream through an old village from the depths of her brain to the crack in her mouth, guiding her

movements. But she doesn’t see it as an ending

The threads form patterns, reminding us how close we always are to touching another destiny. But

in our mortal hands, the material of destiny is invisible, reminding us that sight is our most powerful

sense. A female figure appears as if she has laid herself to rest on the eyes that usually rest on her.

They are not her eyes, and yet they are. She changes appearance with the light. Made of resin, we

see the light passing through her, and it reminds us that no human is impenetrable, that light and

glances can also pass through skin

In her sculptural and performative practice Christine Overvad Hansen (b. 1988) often combines

classical narratives with phenomena from our modern reality. Her works are like melted time

machines, where figures from Greek and ancient mythology meet the infrastructure of the capitalist

society, and where steel and aluminum depict the unpredictable movement patterns of the living

body. At the core of her practice lies the exploration of the performative potentials of different

materials and how a material can be used as a means in various situations. By studying and

challenging the characters of materials, she seeks to create the ideal conditions for sculptural

encounters to open up a discussion of the many physical and mental states, relationships, and power

dynamics of humanity, across time and space

Exhibition text by Sophia Handler

Kindly supported by: