Alexander Tovborg is one of the most acclaimed, innovative and sensational artists on the Danish and indeed international art scene today. Tovborg’s oeuvre testifies to a consistent artistic project in which he insists on humanity. He consistently calls for our contemplation and critical reflection as he pokes at our greed, hostility, mercy and self-righteousness – regardless of whether these things are structured by a specific faith or based on a completely personal ideology.
His labour-intensive, layered technique can be seen as a rhythmic practice which allows Tovborg to immerse himself in various worlds, creating a visual language that runs throughout the work, spanning different series, figures and motives. This visual language simultaneously connects both the work and the various narratives, reminding us of the similarities which run through many of the world’s origin stories. To Tovborg, this emphasis on ancient symbolism and storytelling is essential to his practice.
Alexander Tovborg is a graduate from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (2004–10) and the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Karlsruhe, Germany (2007–09). He has had solo shows at venues such as Overgaden in Copenhagen, GL Strand in Copenhagen, the Rudolph Tegner Museum in Dronningemølle and State of Concept in Athens. His works have been widely exhibited in his native Denmark and abroad, for example at the Camden Art Centre in London, IMMA Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, ARKEN in Ishøj, ARoS in Aarhus, Holstebro Kunstmuseum and KØS in Køge. He has been commissioned for numerous works of public art, for example for the Court of Appeal of Eastern Denmark, the Copenhagen Airport as well as Jelling Church, Tejn Church and Trekroner Church. He is represented in the collections of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, Kunsthalle Bremen, ARKEN in Ishøj, ARoS in Aarhus and the Museum of Religious Art in Lemvig.
