ONCE BROKEN, NEVER THE SAME Magnus Lind Nielsen 17.10–23.11.2024

current exhibition

5 Oct

Announcement

Oblong is excited to present Once Broken, Never the Same, an exhibition of new work by visual artist Magnus Lind Nielsen (b. 1997).

His practice combines theoretical reflection and a multi-disciplinary approach, drawing on his own experiences growing up in the sometimes notorious suburb of Albertslund.

Join us for the opening on Thursday 17th October, 17:00-21:00.

The exhibition runs 17.10 - 23.11.24

The exhibition is supported by Statens Kunstfond, Movia, Clear Channel, Albertslund Kommune and Frederiksberg Kommune

Curator: Jonathan Lieb

Graphic Design: KVELL.OFFICE

Related Programming

Opening on Thursday 17th October 17.00-21.00

Exhibition Statement

Once Broken, Never the Same depicts the aesthetics of a recurring problem for Albertslund municipality - the continual and repeated vandalism of local bus stops. Beneath these shattered facades, Lind Nielsen explores the Danish concept of drengestreger* (see definition below) as a phenomenon within the suburbs. Through fieldwork and active dialogue with crime prevention units, politicians, vandals and citizens, Lind Nielsen focuses on the physical and psychological aspects of drengestreger as more than just mindless acts of vandalism.

Set against a contemporary deconstruction of traditional notions of masculinity, Lind Nielsen perceives drengestreger as a set of actions that continue to mark identity, acceptance and brotherhood. While serving as a form of ritual bonding, the destructive violence of the acts point toward socio-political conflicts around class, ownership of public space and antiauthoritarian rebellion.

Lind Nielsen views the destructive-creative act as a rite of passage during the adolescent’s transition from childhood to adulthood. The innocence that imbues childhood mischief becomes lost within the action of the vandal. As these public expressions become more violent, and the repercussions for the perpetrator potentially more severe, Lind Nielsen uncovers a weaponisation of the self at the onset of adult masculinity.

Vandalised bus stops become concrete testimonies of rites of passage; fragmented and distorted analogies about not having the ability to put one's feelings into words. Splattered blood, scarred hands, shattered glass rendered at once inane and revelatory. A lack of societal dialogue, or even the necessary vocabulary, to move beyond the stigmatisation of the vandal. Amongst the ruins of the bus stop, a municipality, and a wider society at a loss as to how to solve a recurring problem other than to replace, repair and hope things change.

* drengestreger (plural) - though no direct equivalent exists in English, its meaning falls somewhere between pranks and misdemeanours. The definition for the singular drengestreg given in Den Danske Ordbog (The Danish Dictionary) “a reckless action by a child or young person, which often has greater negative consequences than anticipated”. Though not exclusively related to boys or masculinity, the notion of drengestreger is predominantly thought of in the context of the male adolescent (the Danish drenge literally meaning boys).

Artist

Magnus Lind Nielsen (b. 1997) holds a BFA from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and a BA in art history from the University of Copenhagen. Much of his work is permanently exhibited and installed in several Danish cities.