TOMORROW – Camilla Thorup
30. November 2024 – 15. June 2025
With the exhibition ‘Tomorrow’ (I morgen), Camilla Thorup (born 1976) interprets man’s relationship with nature. Through a series of scenarios, we are reminded of human impermanence while evolution is continuous. Nature has evolved over millions of years, but humans have only existed for a fraction of that time. Yet we have managed to fundamentally change our surroundings. A forgotten flip-flop at the bottom of the ocean might one day become an ancient find. A baby covered in fur may be a relic from the past or a future scenario where humans have adapted to a changing climate. The works in the exhibition stage a future where change is inevitable and both humans and nature must adapt to new circumstances. The works balance between utopia and dystopia. The question is whether we evolve with or against nature? In doing so, Thorup reminds us of the paradox that we are deeply dependent on nature, but at the same time destroying it.
Camilla Thorup describes some of the works that can be experienced at CLAY:
Human babies // Babies with fur: Three life-size furry human babies remind us that humans are the result of billions of years of evolution. We’ve been hairless for at least 1.2 million years and possibly longer. Today, we still have as many hair roots as chimpanzees and the genes are still in place for us to develop a full coat. These furry babies could be a relic of the past, or a harbinger of a new state of affairs in an unknown future where humans will have to adapt to climatic change.
Still Life from the Bottom of the Ocean: A flip-flop and an old football are part of several objects that interact with other ceramic objects to form Still Life from the Bottom of the Ocean. The lifelike everyday objects appear to have spent time in the sea. Plastic has a long life and your flip-flop may outlive you and take on a new life as a home for marine life.
Mushrooms and snails: Our homes and the buildings around us give us protection from a wild world where nature is kept on the other side of concrete, brick, iron and glass. This has encouraged me to make mushrooms and snails in ceramics and mount them so that it appears as if they have broken the barrier themselves and willfully crawl on and grow out of walls and floors.
The exhibition features rooms with furniture that we recognise from everyday life. A shoe rack with three pairs of shoes. Small animals have moved into the shoes. A toad has found shelter in a sandal, a snail lives in a pair of trainers and a butterfly has landed on a child’s shoe. The furniture shows signs of decay. A squirrel has moved in and crawls on the wall and furry babies are sleeping in the room.
Thanks to:
Lise Tang
Galleri Specta
Photo:
Anne Marie Jo