British artist Gillian Wearing is famed for work that explores family constructs, challenging traditional and perhaps outdated notions of family and identity. Back in 2008, she delved into the realms of northern Italian family life with A Typical Trentino Family, revealed in the form of a life-sized statue, depicting a real family from the area. She then initiated a similar project, A Real Birmingham Family (2014) just outside of the new Library of Birmingham and depicting two sisters (one of whom is heavily pregnant) along with their two sons.
Coinciding with her first solo show in Scandinavia, Wearing has now given sculptural form to her vision of the Danish family outside Copenhagen’s National Gallery (SMK). The project, titled A Real Danish Family, is a collaboration with SMK, Kunsthal Aarhus and DR, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. Nearly 500 families of varying configurations from 14 different cities across the country applied to model for her work last autumn, a jury then selected the winning family. The entire process was followed by DR in the form of family interviews, and three exclusive programmes that featured the jury’s deliberations.
Self Portrait at 17 Years Old, 2003, by Gillian Wearing.
Michael, a 29-year-old man born to Danish parents in Italy, and Yenny-Louise, a 28-year-old woman who was born in Colombia, but raised in Denmark with adoptive parents, were crowned as Wearing’s Real Danish Family. The pair met, moved in together, opened a coffee shop and had their baby daughter all within a year, and like many of the families who participated, their story is at once unique and emblematic of contemporary Denmark. Their selection exposes the changes to the nuclear Danish family in the last 20-25 years, questioning whether all constructs that defy the traditional norms are regarded as equal.
Inside the SMK, Wearing’s exhibition, ‘Family Stories’, was a collaboration between the artist, the museum’s designers and RBS Studio. It takes visitors from a darkly-lit space, displaying Wearing’s most famous works from 1992 to the present day, to a noticeably smaller, white-washed room explaining the making of A Real Danish Family. This shift not only serves as a literal representation of important topics that were previously left in the dark and are now being brought to light, but also encourages an open and honest discussion.
By immortalising Michael and Yenny-Louise’s family in bronze, Wearing highlights the enduring importance of family as a social unit, while concurrently portraying the fragility, vulnerability and strength of modern-day family life. A Real Danish Family does not suggest an ideal formulation for the 21st century family; rather, it celebrates the unique story behind each one.
A Real Danish Family, 2017, by Gillian Wearing.
Family History, 2006, by Gillian Wearing.
HELP, 1992-1993, by Gillian Wearing.
I’M DESPERATE, 1992-1993, by Gillian Wearing.
My Mother’s Charms, 2016, by Gillian Wearing, 2016.
Self Portrait as My Father Brian Wearing, 2003, by Gillian Wearing.
Self Portrait as My Mother Jean Gregory, 2003, by Gillian Wearing.
INFORMATION
‘Family Stories’ is on view until 7 January 2018. For more information, visit the National Gallery of Denmark website
ADDRESS
National Gallery of Denmark
Sølvgade 48-50
1307 Copenhagen
-
Find yourself at Six Senses Kyoto, the brand's breathtaking Japan debutSix Senses Kyoto opens its doors boasting tranquil, luxurious interiors by Blink Design Group
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
-
Artist Mickalene Thomas wrestles with notions of Black beauty, female empowerment and love'Mickalene Thomas: All About Love’, a touring exhibition, considers Black female representation
-
Peter Blake’s sculptures spark joy at Waddington Custot in London‘Peter Blake: Sculpture and Other Matters’, at London's Waddington Custot, spans six decades of the artist's career
-
Oozing, squidgy, erupting forms come alive at Hayward Gallery‘When Forms Come Alive: Sixty Years of Restless Sculpture’ at Hayward Gallery, London, is a group show full of twists and turns
-
AI and creativity: Louisiana museum considers the human in the machine‘The Irreplaceable Human’ at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark asks what creativity is in the age of AI
-
Ursula Reuter Christiansen on her art: ‘I have to go through, and through, and through’German-Danish artist Ursula Reuter Christiansen tells Wallpaper* what drives her, as her exhibition ‘Rose Thorn’ opens at Von Bartha, Copenhagen
-
New glass sculpture creates a verdant wonderland at Apple’s Cupertino HQ‘Mirage’ at Apple Park is the work of Zeller & Moye and artist Katie Paterson, a shimmering array of glass columns that snakes through the grounds of the company’s monumental HQ
-
How Copenhagen’s Chart Art Fair celebrated its first decadeThe 11th Chart Art Fair highlights span architectural installations, an ongoing sculpture show, and a novice collectors’ exhibition
-
Man Ray’s sculptures go on show in New York‘Man Ray: Other Objects’ opens at Luxembourg + Co, New York, revealing their author’s ‘artistic revolution’
-
American artist Rachel Rose reaches for the sun and the moon in her Nordic exhibition debutRachel Rose’s ‘Good Morning Midnight’ at GL Strand, Copenhagen, centres on her cinematic Enclosure (2019) and recent video The Last Day (2023)
