Fugleburet (b. 1977) 

‘Fugleburet’ is both the Danish word for ‘birdcage’ and the pseudonym of this Danish artist.  There have always been birds in his life. As a child, he had 13 pet birds and 2 mice – that was also the title of his first solo show. He also sees himself as a bird – flying freely, resisting constraint. Perhaps the main hallmark of Fugleburet’s work is the still-life format with its consummate arrangements of objects and orchestrated lighting. But he always throws a spanner in the works and pulls the carpet from under the format’s feet, placing his objects in contrasting and incongruous spaces or distorting them with abstract freedom, and shattering the ‘stillness’ of the format with elements that seem to be scuttling away from the scenario. The result is a striking dynamism Then, of course, there is always his characteristic bird. The bird is the very foundation of his works. The antithesis of Picasso’s soft dove, Fugleburet’s bird is spiky like the distorted angular objects it accompanies – like something out of a nightmare or grotesque cartoon. Material-wise, he uses a brush for precision, and oil sticks for grainy, untamed lines. The effect is a spontaneous game of powerful colors and shapes, harnessed with discipline and an impressive sense of form.