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How to stay tuned
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Art Fairs and exhibitions 2013 | |
| • Christmas Exhibition|13 at Gallery Helco, Randers/Hadsund, Denmark | |
| • Chosen to be part of the artistic adornment at Aarhus University (S-building), Aarhus, Denmark | |
Art Fairs and exhibitions 2012 | Art Fairs and exhibitions 2011 |
• Chosen as “Artist of the year, 2012” by The Art Union at Aarhus City Hall,
Aarhus, Denmark | • Christmas Exhibition|11 at Gallery Weibull, Vedbaek, Denmark |
| • The ArtPadSF|12 Exhibition, The Phoenix Hotel, San Francisco, CA, USA | • The Art Union at Wrist Group, Aalborg, Denmark |
| • The Art Union at COOP, Albertslund, Denmark | • Autumn Exhibition|11 at Gallery Helco, Randers/Hadsund, Denmark |
| • The Art Union at Codan, Copenhagen, Denmark | • The Art Union at Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark |
| • The Art Union at Velux, Hoersholm, Denmark | • The Art Union in Herning City, Herning, Denmark |
| • The Art Union at SAP, Copenhagen, Denmark | • The Art Union at Danisco A/S, Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark |
| • The Art Union at BRF Kredit, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark | • The Art Union at Aarhus Stiftstidende, Aarhus, Denmark |
• Investigation of potential artistic co-partnership with Kathryn Kenworth,
San Francisco, CA, USA | • The School’s Touring Exhibition|11, (duration; 6 months), Aarhus, Denmark |
| • Meeting with artist In Young Yeo, San Francisco, CA, USA | • The Art Union at The Regional Hospital of Randers, Randers, Denmark |
• Ph.D. proposal in Art & Marketing, Aarhus University, working at Stanford University,
Palo Alto, CA, USA | • The KFA|11 Exhibition, Aarhus, Denmark |
| • Visit of The Art Murmur|12 Exhibition, Oakland, CA, USA | |
| • Visiting a potential art group, San Francisco, CA, USA | |
| • Art studies and work with local artists, San Francisco, CA, USA | |
| • Art studies in Charlottesville, VA, USA | |
| • Meeting with artist O.T. Holen, McGuffey Art Center, Charlottesville, VA, USA | |
| • Ph.D. proposal in Art & Marketing, Aarhus University, working at Virginia University, Charlottesville, VA, USA | |
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Art Fairs and exhibitions 2010 | Art Fairs and exhibitions 2009 |
| • Easter Exhibition|10 at Gallery Roedhusgaarden, Roedhus, Denmark | • The Art Union at SAND A/S, Aarhus, Denmark |
| • Easter Exhibition|10 at Gallery Helco, Randers/Hadsund, Denmark | • The Art Union at GUAVA A/S, Aarhus, Denmark |
| • The Art Union at Elementary Schools in Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark | • Easter Exhibition|10 at Gallery Helco, Randers/Hadsund, Denmark |
| • The Hilleroed Art Days|10 Exhibition, Hilleroed, Denmark | • Easter Exhibition|10 at Gallery Roedhusgaarden, Roedhus, Denmark |
| • The Art Union at Langelinieparken, Aarhus, Denmark | • The Hilleroed Art Days|09 Exhibition, Hilleroed, Denmark |
| • The Separate Exhibition|10 at Gallery Helco, Randers/Hadsund, Denmark | • The Separate Exhibition|10 at Gallery Helco, Randers/Hadsund, Denmark |
| • The Art Union at Aarhus City Hall, Aarhus, Denmark | • The KFA|09 Exhibition, Aarhus, Denmark |
| • The Art Union at Bech|Bruun A/S, Aarhus, Denmark | |
• Assignment: Paintings to all board of directors members,
The Art Union at Sygeforsikringen Danmark A/S, Aarhus, Denmark | |
| • The Art Union at Sygeforsikringen Danmark A/S, Aarhus, Denmark | |
| • The KFA|10 Exhibition, Aarhus, Denmark | |
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Art Fairs and exhibitions 2008 | Art Fairs and exhibitions 2007 |
| • Window Art and Installation at SAND A/S, Aarhus, Denmark | • The Art Union at Sydbank A/S, Aarhus, Denmark |
| • Company adornment at STØY|MUNKHOLM ApS, Aarhus, Denmark | • Company adornment at MM Medier A/S, Aarhus, Denmark |
| • The Artville|08 Exhibition, Hellerup, Denmark | • The Art Union at MM Medier A/S, Aarhus, Denmark |
| • Private exhibition at Ad Agency, Simpatico, Aarhus, Denmark | |
| • Window Art and Installation at SAND A/S, Aarhus, Denmark | |
| • The Art Union at Bech|Bruun A/S, Aarhus, Denmark | |
| • The Art Expo|08 Exhibition, Aarhus, Denmark | |
| • The KFA|08 Exhibition, Aarhus, Denmark | |
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My story
I started my early days in Denmark, 1984. Known in Kindergarten as the kid with the funny laugh, sitting more outside the classroom door than inside, and always inventing new games. I appreciated humor and saw humor in almost everything – everyday. When I saw something, which I found funny, I immediately wanted to share what I saw with my surroundings. Conversing. Not the proper behavior if you've asked my teachers.
Besides conversationing all the time, I liked to draw. I draw self-invented cartoon heroes or war images. In fact, I mostly draw a line on the paper and from there I started to make a battle between two armies. I favored helicopters, tanks… and balloons. Bigger than humans – why I can't remember. Naive and surrealistic. When I became older I lost interest and wanted to throw all my drawings out along with my old used toys. But my dad picked up my drawing books and stored them in a box at their loft room. My dad apparently wanted to keep them as memory for me when I turned older.
Almost 20 years later I found these well-kept drawing books at the loft room by coincidence, but in perfect timing as I was searching for myself as an artist at that time. These drawings become an inspiration in how to express myself artwise and still do as of today.
Prior to that, I took my first steps in Switzerland (1998) when I as a 14-years-old visited my brother, who used to be an artist himself. One day, I stepped in his studio and I just liked the universe that I saw – and my hands were from that time on tight into the so-called business of doing art. Although, it's actually not a business. Rather a lifestyle. Your mind is always working, ready to explore and see new things and perspectives. Always experimenting with new ideas in your mind.
However, I'm in the business. That's the short story.
I have participated in a lot of exhibitions during my career; the first one in my native town Aarhus, Denmark, back in 2001. Since, I've been traveling around the world pursuing new exciting exhibitions – also places at first glance outside my artist-comfort-zone. My longest stay outside Denmark was from 2011 through 2012 were I lived and worked in Palo Alto, California, USA. It was a great time for me. I visited both the North and South of California; Ukiah, Hopland, Fort Bragg, Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco as well as LA and San Diego in the south – just to pick up and learn from the different art scenes. Despite the fact that all cities belong to the same state (California), the art scenes were really different. Some better than others.
My work-approach
I care for individuality and put soul, ideas and thoughts into every piece. I build pieces up with an idea, the very heart of my art pieces, and just add the decorative for what it is. Decorative. I don't paint yellow to symbolize the sun. I mix and match colors to give dynamics. Create layers. My art might seem familiar with each other. Of cause – it's my style. My touch. But look for the individuality. The small drawings, the photos, the pictures, the small notes in my paintings. And most important, the title. My title is the idea. The heart. I start with the title – and I finish with the title. That's my work-approach.
Beside, securing individualism, I like experimenting and provoking in my work. Experimenting should be a key task for everybody – especially if you claim yourself in the creativity field – but why provoking? I partly think that provoking is just a side effect and partly I think the provoking as something originated intrinsic along my vision of making art for everyone – and to force everyone into an opinion. By provoking it is possible for me to force an opinion out of a person and let that person – who maybe perfectly don't care about art in general – to actually care! That's a tool, that's a way of expressing, and that's a way to give most people something meaningful. And more simply, by using ethical, moral, poetic, political and philosophical issues in my expressions, it just tends to shape a provocative caused feeling. But that's what I care for, so that's what I do. Statements. Provocative or not.
My mantra
For me, art has to be something new, yet also something old. Art has to shake up one's mind in order to create feelings. Let yourself be inspired around you. Capture it. Twist it. Shape it. Create it. Tell a story. And the creative way to tell a story can for some be called making art, making your statement. And for some it's even more meaningful than going to vote. Anyway,
"My mantra is to deliver individual art with a lot of character, a lot of thoughts and a great deal of it-can-sure-mean-a-lot-of-things-but-this-time-it-means-in-a-perfect-kind-of-way quality; Lots of layers and lots of stories to be told". |
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My category
Many in the art scene like to put you as an artist in some sort of a box, a style, or a category. What I say: "Put me under individuality and undefined odd styles". I don't like to be categorized. Like a commodity.
I do ideas and I do statements. But that's just my opinion.
I don't know whether my words helped you along category-wise. I kind of hope not.
My media
Endlessly. I like exploiting new things and hesitate to just stick with one type of expression or media. My media is mostly paintings though, but I've also work in the field of sculpture, object, video, photo, installation and paperwork.
New media? I'm trying to do an academic version of an art statement. What that is? Wait and see.
My quality
No I hate it. Hate it, hate it, hate it. No wait that's bringing beach sand into the bed.
Quality - Yes of cause. Very simple; "I always use best quality in raw materials".
Whether you drive a Porsche, sleep on Hästens, sit in a Arne Jacobsen or just watch a movie on your new Bang & Olufsen TV – it's all about visuals, feelings and most importantly – Quality. Quality is many things and influence many parameters. Quality is the outside features as well as the raw material inside – plus the added value of the individual perception. I really believe everybody likes quality – some more than others of cause. But deep inside everybody can tell the different. I believe. So I try to create best quality by starting out with best quality. Raw luxury.
Especially about the paintings...
As said, I really like quality. In fact I like quality so much, that my supplier use to make a fool out of me and say I'm stupid: "No, you don't want to pick this quality (red. one of my assembled canvases), this quality is very premium and luxurious - only Michael is that stupid to buy this – it's good, but way too expensive. We call this type of canvas "The Michael-Rode-quality"". And then my supplier usually starts to laugh. Well, normally you might feel offended by now, but I figured out, that I might actually have found the best quality then. It's kind of funny when you think of it; two different views upon price, quality and lifetime. Or did the supplier serve two customers will at a time. Hmm, I don't know...
The frame
The frame consists of massive pinewood upholstered with canvas made by exclusive Dutch fabric –Flax 270. All assembled by hand and manpower. Every frame above 50x50 centimeters comes with extra broad sides – at least 6 centimeters. Every frame above 80x80 centimeters is additionally equipped with a thick pinewood cross in the middle to ensure stability.
The paint
The paint is a base of acrylic, oil and different lacquers, sealed with high quality varnish #114 from Talen's.
All paintings consist of many layers as to deliver a piece of art, which should never stops telling you a story.
Especially about the sculptures, objects or photo art...
I find inspirational materials for sculptures in almost every place and the sculptures or installation are developed through many different materials. My last series of sculptures were a base of oak tree, bronze, tin and laquer. Innovative materials make every sculpture kind of original. So I try to find new exciting materials. As of regarding the installations, there is just no common denominator regarding material.
Especially about the paperwork (guazzos)...
I have developed my own qualities from head to toe – or corner to corner...
The paper
The paper used is thick 450-800 gram bastards. It secures that many layers can be interpreted without "bleeding". Every paper is made and cut by hand piece by piece. The guazzo name is originally from Italy, where artists typically used watercolor on paper to. I use the same technique as back then, but replace watercolors with paint. But still I consider my paperwork as guazzos.
The paint
The paint is a base of acrylic, oil and different lacquers, sealed with high quality varnish #114 from Talen's. Just like my paintings. Guazzo is just another form of expression – it's a better way to show your ideas, when there isn't space enough to step away from the art piece to really absorb it. It's a small media. Light and easy.
The frame
I got special constructed frames, two kinds. Mostly I use the black frame, number #4001, but sometimes I swap to a pure oak frame to keep the look naturally. You can of cause also get a piece of my paperwork without a frame, if you want to add your own personality as I do.
My enrichments
I enrich every piece of my art with an authority certificate to ensure any art pieces from me are original and to avoid duplicates and so-called artists and copycats (that apparently can't figure out to actually be an artist themself). Since 2009 every painting has furthermore been marked with an individual code on the back. Additionally, from 2012 every painting is delivered with a special designed dust bag as to protect and secure the painting while you transportate it. However, some galleries use their own method to secure the painting under transportation as they are responsible for any miscircumstance. That's the essential part after all.
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