Inspired by Vikings in their world of sea expeditions, Danish artist Annesofie Sandal has taken Jonah’s tale to a whole new level.
Displaying her work for the first time in Canada, Sandal’s pixelated sculptural exhibition is called, “Dying Slowly Inside Out”. The show, a collaboration between aceartinc and MAWA, offers work that is mirrored with diamond-shaped scales, creating a glimmer in the eyes of everyone who enters the gallery at 290 McDermot Avenue in Winnipeg.
Looking like a room under water, the feeling is as if one is in a submarine back in time. Sandal’s art, very much in the present mixed with hope for the future, captures the attention of the viewer. Every ray of light shimmering off the sculpture dances on the mirrors situated on the side of the walls, reflecting the message saying, “a skin for a skin”. The scale of the tail was remarkable separated from the main body of the whale.
Sandal feels the whale represents the past, present and future, serving as a symbol of measuring time. She calls attention to time and timelessness reflections, the human desire to expand knowledge and gain territory. In the end, the focus was not on Jonah and the whale, even though that was on many people’s minds.
Zulema gracefully poses as a mermaid and a person who was within the sea-like area.
In 2012, Sandal was an artist in residence with MAWA. She also receives grants from the Danish International Arts Agency.
This magnificent work of art will be dismantled sometime in the next week. Taking apart such an impressive piece of art not knowing where it is going next seems like a waste of talent. Reportedly, there have been discussions with aceartinc about where the installation will go next, but details of this were not disclosed by staff at aceartinc.
It would certainly be nice to see this large scale sculpture of mystical wonder, placed in another area for exhibit due to its depth of beauty and its enormous tale to tell.
