The memory, longing and dream of Denmark are key ingredients in the creative process of Mikael B.'s work “Our Denmark”. Although it has been almost six years since Mikael B. took the leap and moved to Los Angeles, he still feels a special bond with Denmark. A bond that has only been strengthened through the support he has met from the Danish art scene. Much of Mikael B.'s work is rooted in memories of special places, including the 2019 series “Eternal Landscapes”, which as its starting point focused on the unspoiled nature of Colorado and Utah. Now, the time has come to portray the love and memories Mikael B. has for and from Denmark. This has resulted in a work created in a time of crisis but inspired by new opportunities.

Recollections of experienced places are closely linked to individual emotions. Based on Mikael B.'s unique cubist idiom, he visualizes the feelings he associates with Denmark. The contrasting magic that arises as we move from the dark cold winter months to the long, warm summer nights with crimson sunsets. The almost luminous green beech woods are visualized through a green square in the work that cuts into the dark grey field, as a sign of brighter times ahead. Across the work, we see waves of rectangular shapes as a symbol of Denmark's endless coastline and the rugged North Sea.

The work “Our Denmark” can be experienced as a reinterpretation of the idealized concepts of Romanticism and the pursuit of beauty. The work has been created in a time when many of us are isolated from the outside world, but also a time with room for reflection and appreciation of life. As a Dane, Mikael B.'s love for Denmark has grown during this period – where the patriotic sense of language, culture and the country's history mostly existed at a subconscious level before, it is now clearly present and is a cause for the creation of this work. “We love our country”, these are the first words of Holger Drachmann's Midsummer Eve song, which praises everything beautiful about Denmark. The same love of the homeland flows through Mikael B.'s abstract work of Denmark as seen from above, while he casts an optimistic almost fluoridating pink light over the difficult time we are in at the moment.

“The work ”Our Denmark“ represents much of what I appreciate about and associate with Denmark – in an optimistic abstract interpretation – Mikael B”.

Text by Julie Q. Silbermann.

This lot has been donated by Mikael B. All proceeds from the sale will go to the Danish Red Cross' relief work in Denmark and internationally. Bruun Rasmussen will not charge a seller’s fee in connection with the auction, and the buyer’s premium will be credited on the invoice.