VIDEO: Alexander Tovborg-Welcome to the Mystery

“Art contains the Mystery. It contains doubt. It contains believing. It contains sharing – being part of something.” Alexander Tovborg is a Danish artist known for his monumental works that delve into themes of spirituality and faith. In a film documenting the process of constructing his extensive solo exhibition titled “The Church” at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Tovborg explains how fantasy, mythology, and religion have shaped him as a person and as an artist.

As a child, Tovborg developed a deep love for folklore, storytelling, and fairy tales, which later expanded to include an interest in Magic cards and science fiction which became a prism through which he sought to understand himself and the world around him. Upon losing his father, a teenage Alexander Tovborg decided to become an artist and has since created art that reflects a persistent engagement with the universal quest for meaning.

As a painter, sculptor, and performance artist, Tovborg investigates how religious imagery and narratives shape the human condition. Layering symbolism and stories found in the Bible and other religious texts, Tovborg wants us to reflect upon what it is we believe in: “What I’m doing is not a genius thing. I am not inventing anything at all. But I am using the tools that were given through art history to talk about the imagery: The power of the image, the power of the myth.”

The church as an institution and sacred space holds significant meaning for Tovborg. In the film, he visits the church where he was baptized and where his father’s funeral took place. Through reflections on the architecture and mythology of the church, Tovborg invites the viewers to contemplate the role of art in their own spiritual quests.
Alexander Tovborg (b. 1983) graduated from The Royal Danish Academy of Art in 2010. His works have been featured in galleries and institutions worldwide, including ARoS, Overgaden and GL Strand in Denmark, State of Concept in Athen, Camden Art Centre in London, IMMA Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, and various public art commissions. His works are represented in the collections at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, Kunsthalle Bremen, ARKEN in Ishøj, ARoS in Aarhus, and the Museum of Religious Art in Lemvig.

 

 

Alexander Tovborg was interviewed by Nanna Rebekka in his studio in Copenhagen and Jesuskirken in Valby, Denmark, in April 2023. Cinematographer: Philip Peng Rosenthal, Edited and produced by: Nanna Rebekka, © Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2023. Louisiana Channel is supported by Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, C.L. Davids Fond og Samling, and Fritz Hansen