Spatial Delusions

At the Live Auction this autumn, we present a work from 2011 by the Danish artist Anette Harboe Flensburg (b. 1961). At first glance, the oil painting appears to be a realistic representation of a desolate space, where the only items that stand out are a blue chair and a large un-framed window that allows us a look at the nature outside. But if you let your eyes rest a bit on the painting, it becomes clear that this is not a 1:1 reproduction of reality. The light from the window casts a shadow on the floor that transforms into a distinctly abstract figure in the room. And the view from the window suddenly awakens disturbing reminiscences to the bottom of a lake where only a few rays of light have made it all the way down.

In Harboe Flensburg's artwork, there is always a view to other spaces – either an adjoining room or, as is the case in this painting, nature seen through a window. As a viewer, you instinctively search for an exit within the frame, but the claustrophobia creeps in as there is no way out to be found and you are spun into your own search for meaning. With the lack of rational logic, one can easily get lost in Flensburg’s works, and that provokes and challenges us as viewers. Harboe Flensburg paints the unseen and evokes memories and moods within us. In this way, her works also become an image of an inner space, and her intention is presumably to discuss the way we as human beings see and perceive reality. She herself speaks of a kind of third dimension in her works:

Harboe Flensburg has been described as a "modern-day Hammershøi" by several sources. She works with the classical interior genre, and in the same way as in Hammershøi’s paintings, the rooms are often sparsely furnished and empty of people. One can also use similar words about the moods in the works of the two artists, for example silence, melancholy and absence. Yet there are significant differences between their expressions as well, in both temperament and time – with 100 years between them. Harboe Flensburg has stated the following about the ties to the great master of interiors:

Harboe Flensburg's works originate from dollhouse models, where the rooms are either left empty or furnished with furniture, carpets, wallpaper and pictures. These rooms then turn into photomontages, which she eventually unfolds on the canvas with brush and oil paint. The work process is thus drawn-out and testifies to an artist's mind that is attentive to every detail and eagerly shares her abstract reflections on the artistic creative process.