”Gathering flowers for a delicate girl”
Nikolaj Recke
Galleri Kirke Sonnerup/Stalke Galleri
Kirke Sonnerup
15.02.03 to 29.03.03
“Gathering Flowers for a Delicate Girl”
an exhibition with new works by Nikolaj Recke.
In 2002, Nikolaj Recke travelled to the Malaysian rainforest to observe one of nature’s countless wonders: the mating dance of fireflies. The dance took place as the male fireflies sat in their thousands in a tree by the riverbank, and as soon as a single female flew past, they began blinking synchronously to attract her. Recke documented this phenomenon in the video Dialogue II, in which he attempted to “talk” with or seduce the fireflies using a lighter.
The play of light was also the central element in the exhibition’s third video, Lunatic. Through a large telescope mounted in an observatory, Recke filmed close-ups of a full moon, which he projected onto one of the gallery walls, so that the room was enveloped in a mysterious glow that either allowed the werewolf or love’s eye to appear in the viewer.
Like many of Recke’s earlier works, the three new video installations were characterized by a minimalistic sensibility and a humorous, romantic undertone. At the same time, they continued his exploration of the world as a place for unfiltered communication and artistic reflection.
The exhibition also featured a series of new computer drawings by Nikolaj Recke. The drawings’ motifs included Recke’s artist colleagues, evening reflections in a pool of water (Perfect Day series), and fictional flowers such as the world’s largest flower Rafflesia arnoldii and Tobacco Rose, a love declaration to cigarettes.
Installation views showing video projection, photographic works and painted portraits from Nikolaj Recke’s exhibition Gathering flowers for a delicate girl, Galleri Kirke Sonnerup, 2003
