Adam Christensen, "Is That All You've Got?"
15.03.2025-27.07.2025

Fotos: David Stjernholm

*English below

HFKD er stolte over at præsentere soloudstillingen Is That All You’ve Got? af Adam Christensen, en kunstner hvis praksis flyder frit mellem film, performance, tekstiler og musik. Med en intens tilstedeværelse og en evne til at opløse grænserne mellem virkelighed og fiktion, inviterer Christensen os ind i et fragmenteret og sanseligt univers.

Udstillingen udspringer af filmtrilogien Death by Mystery I-III, der alle er skabt i samme hus i Sydlondon over en periode fra 2020 til 2024. Filmene er en sammensmeltning af intime teaterscener og rå dokumentation med Christensen som den gennemgående figur. Publikum føres gennem en verden, hvor forfald og opretholdelse balancerer; hvor kostumer og bagtæpper er syet sammen med løse sømme, ligesom eksistenserne, der portrætteres – flossede i kanterne, kun lige akkurat sammenhængende.

Christensens filmiske værker virker som optegnelser fra en underverden, som fragmenterede dagbogsblade, der beretter om lange nætter, kærlighed og sex. Revnerne i livets stof bliver tydelige, og det er netop i denne skrøbelighed, at en særlig intensitet opstår. Vi bevæger os i evige kælderlandskaber, hvor venner og bekendte fungerer som readymades, rekvisitter og kameraførere i en filmisk collage, der blander det ægte og det opstillede.

Den teatralske tilgang understøttes af en lydside, der bryder og forstærker billedsporene. “Is this real? Is this an illusion? Are you awake?” synger Christensen med en stemme, der skælver mellem dyb længsel og skinger desperation. Hans harmonikaspil og sange bærer på en sårbarhed, der fremkalder sorg, kokethed og underkastelse. Orgasmens ekstase og tabets dybde går hånd i hånd i et poetisk kaos, hvor alt synes på randen af kollaps.

Udstillingen føjer en fysisk dimension til Christensens univers med store værker i tekstil, der føles som en udvidelse af filmene. De store stoflige flader danner et univers, hvor virkelighed og iscenesættelse er i konstant forhandling.

Med Is That All You’ve Got? inviteres vi til et sted, hvor begreberne filtres lidt ind i hinanden, hvor tragedie og komik er riet løst sammen, og hvor kunsten afspejler livets teatralske absurditet. Adam Christensen er kendt for sin evne til at opløse grænser – mellem køn, identitet og kunstneriske medier. Hans performances er intense, intime og ofte humoristiske og dybt følelsesladede. Han ifører sig parykker, strømper, handsker og kjoler; ikke for at skjule, snarere for at afsløre. For Christensen er kostumerne og scenetæpperne, de lette stoffer, de flossede sømme, en del af hans fortælling om eksistensens flygtighed.

Adam Christensen (f. 1979, Aylesbury, England) er en tværfaglig kunstner med en praksis, der spænder over video, performance, musik, installationer og tekstilværker. Han er opvokset i Vejen og uddannet fra Den Europæiske Filmskole i Ebeltoft samt Goldsmiths, University of London. Christensens værker er blevet præsenteret i en række internationale sammenhænge, herunder Baltic Triennial 13, ICA i London og New Museum i New York, samt i soloudstillinger på bl.a. OuterSpace (Milano), Queen Adelaide (London) og Maison Maca (Athen). Han er modtager af Statens Kunstfonds treårige arbejdslegat. 

Udstillingen er venligst støttet af Statens Kunstfond, Holstebro Kommune, Færch Fonden, Det Obelske Familiefond og 15. Juni Fonden.

HFKD is proud to present the solo exhibition, Is That All You’ve Got? by Adam Christensen.

Christensen’s praxis flows freely between film, performance, textiles and music. With and intense presence and the ability to dissolve the boundaries between reality and fiction, Christensen invites us into a fragmented and sensuous universe.

The point of departure for the exhibition is the film trilogy Death by Mystery I-III that have all been filmed in the same South London house in a period between 2020-2024. The films melt together intimate theatre scenes and raw documentary with Christensen as the main character. The viewer is led through a world where decay and self-preservation is balancing; where the costumes and stage curtains are sewn together with loose seams, just like the existences portrayed – frayed at the edges, only just barely coherent.

Christensen’s cinematic works seem like recordings from an underworld – fragmented diary pages telling tales of long nights, love and sex. The cracks in the fabric of life become clear, and it is precisely in this fragility that a special intensity arises. We move in eternal basement landscapes, where friends and acquaintances function as ready-mades, props and camera operators in a cinematic collage that mixes the real and the staged.

The theatrical approach of the artist is supported by a soundtrack that both breaks and amplifies the visual traces. “Is this real? Is this an illusion? Are you awake?” Christensen sings in a voice that trembles between deep longing and shrill desperation. His songs and accordion become carriers of a sensibility that evoke both coquetry and sorrow, violence and submission. The ecstasy of orgasm and the depth of loss go hand in hand in a poetic chaos where everything seems on the verge of collapse.

The exhibition adds a physical dimension to Christensen’s universe with large works in textile that feel like an extension of the films – the large material surfaces form a space where reality and staging are in constant negotiation.

The exhibition Is That All You’ve Got? Invites us into a space where tragedy and comedy are loosely intertwined, and where art reflects the theatrical absurdity of life. Adam Christensen is known for his ability to dissolve boundaries – between gender, identity and artistic media. His performances are intense, intimate, and often humorous and deeply emotional. He dons wigs, stockings, gloves and dresses; not to hide – rather to reveal. For Christensen, the costumes and stage curtains, the light fabrics, the frayed seams, are part of his story about the transience of existence.

Adam Christensen (b. 1979, Aylesbury, England) is an interdisciplinary artist with a praxis spanning video, performance, music, installations and textile works. He grew up in Vejen and was educated at the European Film School in Ebeltoft and Goldsmiths, University of London. Christensen’s works have been presented in a number of international contexts, including the Baltic Triennial 13, the ICA in London and the New Museum in New York, as well as in solo exhibitions at among others OuterSpace (Milano), Queen Adelaide (London) and Maison Maca (Athen). He is the recipient of a three-year working grant from the Danish Arts Foundation.

The exhibition is kindly supported by Danish Arts Foundation, Holstebro Municipality, Færch Foundation, Det Obelske Familiefond and 15. Juni Fonden.

Adresse:
HFKD, HUSET FOR KUNST & DESIGN
Nørrebrogade 1
7500 Holstebro

Åbningstider:
Torsdag og fredag kl. 14.00 - 18.00
Lørdag og søndag kl. 12.00 -16.00
Gratis adgang

For mere information kontakt venligst Anna Margrethe Pedersen:
info@hfkd.dk

Address:
HFKD, HUSET FOR KUNST & DESIGN
Nørrebrogade 1
7500 Holstebro
Denmark

Opening hours:
Thursday and Friday 14.00 - 18.00
Saturday and Sunday 12.00 -16.00
Free entry

For more information, please contact Anna Margrethe Pedersen:
info@hfkd.dk