GRIMM has announced the international representation of Danish artist Anders Davidsen. His captivating paintings trace the passage of time using seascapes as a foundation from which he explores the
effects of atmosphere and light. Working from memories of a childhood spent near the ocean in all its expanse, images emerge from a setting sun or rising moon resting on the horizon. The artist’s first exhibition with GRIMM in Amsterdam (NL), Sowing in half-light, opens on 13th September until 12th October 2024.
Anders Davidsen comments:
I feel incredibly fortunate andprivileged to be working with GRIMM. To have the enthusiasmand support from their fantastic team behind my work, and mygrowth as an artist, really means the world. It truly feels excitingand inspiring to think about the things we will do together in thefuture – and it goes without saying that I’m very thrilled to be apart of such an impressive lineup of artists.
Born in Mariagerfjord (DK) and currently based in Knebel (DK), much of Davidsen’s practice is reminiscent of his summers spent in his grandparents’ home in his native Jutland, on the west coast of Denmark. Recalling the shifting patterns of light and shadow across the water’s surface, rays radiate outwardly in gentle rhythms, recreating the entrancing effects of this natural phenomenon. Varying-sized seascapes are pinned up around his studio, individual experiments into the endless amalgamations of light, air, and water. Completing his paintings sequentially, each canvas is a fusion of inner and outer worlds, a reflection of these quiet moments of contemplation.
As a student at the Danish Royal Academy from 2017 to 2023 in Copenhagen (DK), Davidsen developed his distinctive approach to working on linen, building his paintings from the depths of an undercoat of weather-beaten brown. Multiple layers of oil paint are then applied directly from the tube in thin, dry layers, pressing the pigments into the tinted chalk gesso. Davidsen then scrubs and wipes away the paint to reveal reflections on the water’s surface as the paint dries. This meditative process is a race against time, akin to the tension between the power and peacefulness of changing sea tides.
The luminosity of Davidsen’s works is not drawn from the glistening quality of oil paints, but rather from this vibrating dryness, as his pigments fade into one another. Somewhat like a fresco, the beauty of his canvases is grounded in their aged appearance, recording a moment lost to time itself. Davidsen is
careful not to overwork his surfaces, so colours dance lightly across the textured linen, ebbing and flowing like undulating waves. Seasonal variations are created through the application of deep reds reminiscent of hazy and humid summer mornings, or via muted, softer tones suggestive of a crisp winter’s fog. Standing before his canvases, both large and small, viewers are reminded of their own memories of observing a sparkling sea, a spiritual experience that reminds us to slow down and appreciate the mesmerising subtleties of the natural world.
Jorg Grimm, founder of GRIMM comments:
It is a great honour to start representing Anders, a uniquely talented painter who creates intricate planes of surface tension, imbued with a brimming psychological presence. His works convey a materiality whereby he adds and omits, sands and layers in order to create dense psychographies which force the viewer to take time to undergo and experience. A great addition to our gallery roster, we can’t wait for everyone to see his works in person.
About the artist
Anders Davidsen was born in Mariagerfjord (DK) in 1987, and currently lives and works in Knebel (DK). He studied at the Danish Royal Academy from 2017 to 2023 in Copenhagen (DK). His work has been exhibited in the US, the UK, Switzerland, Portugal, and across Denmark.
Davidsen’s solo and group exhibitions include Sowing in half-light, GRIMM, Amsterdam (NL) in 2024; Bernheim x ADZ Gallery: Group exhibition, Bernheim, Zurich (CH) in 2024; Voices in silver, Painters Painting Paintings, Hertfordshire (UK) in 2022; Evening Flower, ADZ, Lisbon (PT) in 2022; The Lurid Season, M+B, Los Angeles, CA (US) in 2022; Mythic materials, Formation Gallery, Copenhagen (DK) in 2022; Leva, Arcway Nightlands Connector, Copenhagen (DK) in 2020; BFA exhibition, Danish Royal Academy, Copenhagen (DK) in 2020.
