NEWS

27 JULY 2021

BRIGADE NEWSLETTER WITH ERIC DOERINGER

We produced the following written interview with Eric Doeringer for the July edition of Brigade’s monthly newsletter, to co-incide with the opening of "I Copy Therefore I Am", the artist's solo exhibition with Brigade:

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Why do you choose to work in a smaller scale when producing your bootleg images? 
When I first started making my Bootleg paintings, I sold them on the sidewalk outside of galleries in New York. The small size made them portable (I transported my paintings in a large rolling suitcase) and kept the cost of materials low.  

Many of the paintings incorporate collaged prints, and the small canvas size allows me to make those prints on a standard letter-size printer.
 

Could you talk a bit about the performative aspect of this series? 
The “performative” aspect of selling my paintings on the street was an important part of the original project. I was just starting my art career, and trying to find a gallery in New York that would exhibit my artwork was incredibly frustrating.  

By using the sidewalk as my “gallery” I could exhibit whatever I wanted, I didn’t have to pay rent, and there was great foot traffic because of all the art galleries on the block. But I also loved that the sidewalk was a completely unprofessional place to exhibit. One would not expect to encounter “Conceptual Art” there. 

The paintings, themselves, also challenge the traditional art system. Beyond the fact that they are “copies” of works by other artists, they are neither numbered or produced in strictly limited editions. If I run out of one design, I make another batch of the “same” paintings. Therefore, the paintings that have been the least “popular” are the most “rare”.  

They also exist in a weird place between being unique “paintings” and identical “multiples”. Each painting is made by hand, but they also incorporate mechanical reproduction. I usually make a batch of 5-25 copies of the “same” painting at a time. When those sell out, I might make another batch. 
 

Do you think your work is particularly “American”? 
I was definitely inspired by living in New York City. I got the idea for selling Bootleg paintings on the sidewalk from the vendors selling fake Louis Vuitton handbags on Canal Street. Contemporary art seemed like another luxury status symbol that could be “knocked off” and sold at a discount. I know there are sidewalk vendors in other cities, but selling “fake” art on the street seems like a particularly New York kind of hustle. 

I suppose my view of who is “hot” in the art world is an American (or New York) perspective. My Bootleg series is all about the art market. The artists I reproduce aren’t necessarily my favorites, they’re works I think will be popular - eye candy. They’re the “Class of ’21”. I might have chosen different artists if I lived in London or Hong Kong. 
 

There are some new works based on imagery by Danish artists that were produced for this exhibition. Could I ask you to talk about your decision to choose these works? 
For this exhibition, I wanted to make a new Bootleg painting based on a Danish or Scandinavian artist. Brigade came up with a list of some potential artists and I researched their work. When I saw Superflex’s “I Copy Therefore I Am”, it was an obvious choice - so perfect that I decided to title the exhibition after it. Even better, I could use the same silkscreens to make a Bootleg version of Barbara Kruger’s “I Shop Therefore I Am” (which, of course, was the inspiration for Superflex’s artwork). 
 

How important is materiality to you? 
Materiality is incredibly important. I’ve made thousands of paintings, but I think of myself more as a sculptor than a painter. My paintings are objects. 
 

Do you view your practice as conceptual? 
Yes. When I used to sell my Bootleg paintings on the street, people would frequently ask, "What are your paintings like? What do you paint when you paint for yourself?" But, of course, the Bootlegs are my paintings and selling them outside of Gagosian or Art Basel was a combination of performance and art installation. It was hard for people to understand that I might want to paint an "Ed Ruscha" instead of a portrait or landscape.
 

How do you think the process of copying or reproduction changes a painting? 
Any reproduction - no matter how precise - introduces a change. The “copy” exists in a different space, is made from different molecules, and is younger than the original. If you look at two “identical” photocopies under a microscope, they don’t look alike at all. 

It doesn’t matter whether you can tell the difference between a Sturtevant and a Warhol or a Bidlo and a Pollock hanging on a wall - they are not the “same” paintings. They were made for different reasons. They have different meanings. 

When an image is reproduced by hand, there is inherently some interpretation by the second artist. Just as Cezanne and Seurat had different approaches to painting a tree, Richard Pettibone, Elaine Sturtevant, Deborah Kass, Jonathan Monk, and I each paint a “Warhol” differently. 
 

What do you make of the copyright lawsuits that have been brought against artist like Richard Prince? 
The moment you share an image with others you lose control of it. I don’t think copyright law should be used against artists.  

I believe Richard Prince (and any artist) should be able to incorporate whatever images he wants into his artwork.  

Several artists have threatened to sue me and I’ve lost exhibition opportunities due to fear of potential lawsuits. In the end, it amounts to censorship of my artwork. 

15 JULY 2021

NOW OPEN: I COPY THEREFORE I AM - ERIC DOERINGER

Brigade is pleased to announce the opening of "I Copy Therefore I Am", the debut solo exhibition at the gallery and in Scandinavia by Los-Angeles-based artist Eric Doeringer.

Eric Doeringer is a meta-meta artist, known for selling “Bootleg” versions of contemporary artworks from cars parked outside galleries and art fairs.

Highlighting the tenuous relationships that exists between original art, value, desire, ownership and appreciation; Doeringer’s practice not only highlights these positions, but also actively challenges them, by making his facsimiles available and affordable to the many.

More information including full documentation can be found here.

02 JULY 2021

ANDREA VILLALÓN FEATURED IN BØRSEN

We are excited that Andrea Villalón’s solo exhibition with Brigade “The Shelter of Meaning” has been featured by critic Bente Scavenius in the most recent edition of Børsen Weekend: 2 July 2021

English Translation below:

“From the very start, Brigade Gallery on Vesterbrogade 75 in Copenhagen has been curating a programme of international artists who are up-and-coming (and therefore somewhat unknown) in this country. And this can be refreshing, as it is with the current exhibition by Mexican artist Andrea Villalón (b. 1995), who is now based in London. Until 11 July, Andrea Villalón will be exhibiting a Brigade a selection of photorealistic paintings, which depict a personal, somewhat surreal universe, where you get close to the artist's everyday life, albeit in the absence of the artist herself. Personal objects from the private sphere fill the canvas, as if they were modern still lives, filled with absence as well as presence.”

- Bente Scavenius

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29 JUNE 2021

BRIGADE NEWSLETTER WITH ANDREA VILLALÓN

We produced the following written interview with Andrea Villalón for the June edition of Brigade’s monthly newsletter, to co-incide with the opening of "The Shelter of Meaning", the artist's debut solo exhibition with Brigade:
 

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Could you please tell us a little bit about where the title of the show comes from?
As I'm always trying to find some meaning and understand who I am so I often think about what shelters that information. The show itself shelters the pieces that talk about the meaning I've found these past months so it also really is the shelter of meaning. it's a bit of some good ol' metacognition. 

There are a couple of motifs that recur throughout your work - could you tell us about your interest in spiderwebs and candles? 
Spiderwebs as a symbol of memory and all that we archive consciously and unconsciously; candles as a symbol of enlightenment and for all the polarities: night and day, good and bad, asleep and awake... 

How do you view the relationship between your paintings and your glass works?
How do you decide when you want to work in each medium?
I work with them simultaneously because I'm equally interested in both of the mediums but they're different in the sense that the glass pieces are a very straightforward strong message while the paintings are just as strong but more of a long long letter.  

How do you think your move to London has affected the works you produced for the show?
I don't know exactly yet but that's what those paintings are all about, a sublimation of what happened psychologically in my first months in London (and life in general...). I spent a lot of time quarantining with my husband so there's a lot of wedding rings in the show, I started feeding pigeons on my balcony so there are pigeons too, I became very aware of what it means to have a house/home so there are a lot of houses too... and I've spent a lot of time reading about psychoanalysis so most of the paintings refer to a certain term in psychoanalysis... 

How do you feel about the printed editions that have been produced with Brigade for the show?
I love them! quality is great, price is super accessible and I'm just very happy that there's such a nice option for my paintings to travel to other parts of the world, hopefully, a lot of them will go to México <3 

Concha Eléctrica has now been running for many years and has helped to establish a global community of women artists - how do you see the project developing in the future? Do you have particular aspirations for it? 
I want the project to prioritize latin artists but now that I'm living in London and meeting people from everywhere I'd also like to little by little start working with women around the world so we'll see...

Which other artists’ work are you feeling the strongest connection to at the moment? 
David Inshaw, Paul Delvaux, Nicole Eisenman, Remedios Varo 

A work by Geles Cabrera is referenced in the background of “The Darkest Light” are there other overt references to the work of other artists in these new paintings? 
"One mexican pound and one electric cigarette" is a reference to Ceci n'est pas une pipe.

Are there any personal narratives or biographical references in these new works that you would be happy to share? 
Most of the objects in the paintings are things I actually own like the coffee mug, oyster card, glasses, airpods, wedding ring, passport, house keys... I'm aware that all the things I own are temporary and one day they'll just be a memory, but since I have terrible memory I always paint them to keep them forever (you could say I'm a hoarder). So I can remember to forget.  
Actually, two months ago I lost the glasses I painted in two of the paintings... but not really I guess.... 

What is the biggest challenge you are facing at the moment in your practice? 
Not having enough space to paint bigger paintings!!!! 

23 JUNE 2021

ANDREA VILLALÓN - INTERVIEW WITH EUROWOMAN, DK

Brigade is excited to share a new interview between gallery artist Andrea Villalón and Eurowoman, Denmark.

The interview was recorded in the gallery alongside the opening of Villalón’s current solo exhibition with Brigade: “The Shelter of Meaning” which remains on-view until 11 July.

As part of the interview, Villalón discusses her intuitive approach towards painting, the ambiguous role of self-portraiture in her practice and her aspirations towards building herself a home.

“I work mostly with painting and glass. You won’t really see me, my face or my body in my work but they are all me. I am in a constant state of practicing being here and now and aware. So it’s very intuitive. I am always working in my head, trying to understand who I am and trying to remember who I am too.”

Click here to watch the full interview.

18 JUNE 2021

BRIGADE RADIO #2 - ANDREA VILLALÓN

On the occasion of “The Shelter of Meaning”, the debut solo exhibition by Andrea Villalón with Brigade, the London-based artist has created a Spotify playlist to accompany the works included in the show.

Filled with an eclectic selection of folk ballads, electronic pop and traditional Latin American bolero, the curated playlist engages with the romantic and psychologically charged themes that characterise the exhibition.

Forty seven songs and three and a half hours in length, the full playlist is available to listen to on Brigade’s Spotify page via the link.

03 JUNE 2021

NOW OPEN - THE SHELTER OF MEANING: ANDREA VILLALÓN

Brigade is pleased to announce the opening of The Shelter of Meaning, the debut European solo exhibition by London-based painter Andrea Villalón. 

Villalón’s figurative paintings and stained glass works emerge from a highly personal and transformative exploration of identity, representation and self-reflection in the 21st Century. Every painting is considered a self-portrait and is reflective of Villalón’s personal experience.  

“I live for the moments when I feel real, aware, present, part of this world and owner of my skin. I’ve discovered that for me to be able to reach this state of harmony and synchronicity, first I have to know who I am. But whenever I paint, something unexpected and unknown reveals in front of me. It’s my subconscious sublimating.” - Andrea Villalón 

More information, including full exhibition documentation and Brigade’s press release can be found here. 

25 MAY 2021

BRIGADE IN THE NEWS - INTERVIEW IN POLITIKEN

The gallery is excited to have recently been featured in a long article in both the print and online editions of Denmark’s Politiken newspaper. 

The article consists of a light interview with the gallery’s artistic director Michael Bank Christofferson as well as some beautiful additional documentation of our current exhibition BRIGADE ARCHIVES #1. 

During the interview Michael touches on such topics as Brigade’s historic location, the gallery’s fundamental ethos and the role we envision for ourselves in a rapidly changing global art world. 

Click here to read the full interview on the Politiken website.

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20 MAY 2021

ENTER ART FAIR 2021 - RY DAVID BRADLEY

The gallery is thrilled to announce that we will be participating in the 2021 edition of ENTER Art Fair (26 - 29 August) with a solo presentation of new paintings by Ry David Bradley (b. 1979). 

Bradley has maintained a longstanding interest in exploring the effects of visual technological development on our shared modes of perception. Working inside the field of digital painting since the early 2000s, Ry David Bradley is at the forefront of a new tradition that has received increased exposure alongside the global rise of online viewing rooms and NFTs. 

For ENTER 2021, the gallery will exhibit a suite of Bradley’s new acrylic tapestries. Composed by collaging a variety of found internet imagery with digital brushstrokes inside Photoshop, the artist transposes these digital files into material art objects by fabricating them as tapestries. 

Working with a digital jacquard loom that harks back to the development of the modern computer, Ry David Bradley’s tapestries reflect on the history of screen-based imagery whilst simultaneously exploring the possibilities for material manifestation within a characteristically immaterial visual realm. 

ENTER Art Fair 2021 will take place at Tunnelfabrikken; Oceanvej 1; 2150 Nordhavn; Copenhagen. Click here to find out more information about the fair.

12 MAY 2021

PROGRAMME ANNOUNCEMENT: ANDREA VILLALÓN

The gallery is proud to announce that on 04 June 2021 we will present the debut European solo-exhibition by Mexican painter and glass artist Andrea Villalón. 

Interested in exploring the complex web of issues surrounding intimacy and representation, Villalón’s unflinching and surreal self-portraits are based on a diagnostic analysis of her own changing internal conditions. 

“My paintings are the record of the time, my time. Each image is a scene in my life like a scene from a movie. The protagonists are the objects that I own or possessed, the light that I saw and that saw me back, the spaces that I live emotionally and literally, my furniture, my food, everything. They are also self-portraits, although sometimes you don’t see me. My paintings are my reflection and my witness. They are also the dark side of myself, where old secrets dwell and come to light when I paint and then study to get to know myself better. “ - Andrea Villalón 

In addition to her painting practice, in 2016 Villalón founded the digital and physical exhibition platform @conchaelectrica which continues to build a sense of community and provide important visibility for underrepresented women artists working internationally. 

Villalón is currently exchanging thoughts and ideas about how to promote female artists and their platforms with Bianca Menna/Tomaso Binga, who shares the same pursuit. This exchange by letter will be published on the occasion of Menna’s solo-exhibition at Brigade in October. 

07 MAY 2021

PROGRAMME ANNOUNCEMENT - ERIC DOERINGER

Brigade is thrilled to announce that on 15 July we will present: “I Copy Therefore I Am”, the debut Scandinavian solo exhibition by American artist Eric Doeringer (b. 1974). 

Since the early 2000s Doeringer has been producing faithful miniature facsimiles of some of the most heralded works of Western contemporary art, as part of his ongoing “Bootleg” Series. 

Inspired by the aesthetics of the counterfeit luxury handbag sellers working on Canal Street in NY, Doeringer began to apply a similar ideology to the artworks exhibited in Soho’s blue-chip galleries. However, he is keen to distinguish his transparent intentions towards homage from any wilful deceit or forgery. 

Often favouring works that themselves have a strong conceptual grounding, Doeringer’s practice is a conscious reflection on the murky delineation between sanctioned appropriation and unapproved fakery in an art-world that is often more concerned with authenticity than imagery. 

For his exhibition at Brigade, Doeringer will present a signature series of painted reproductions that continues his project of making iconic fine-art imagery accessible to a wider public. 

01 MAY 2021

INTERVIEW WITH OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR:
MICHAEL BANK CHRISTOFFERSEN

To co-incide with the opening of BRIGADE ARCHIVES #1, the gallery’s artistic director Michael Bank Christofferson offered some reflections on his curatorial method, and on the function of the Brigade Gallery Archive:

"The archive is a way for Brigade to highlight works of art that are of interest and high quality, but not currently penned into our exhibition programme. 

The way our planning works doesn’t always allow us to utilise all the works we have access to or that have been produced through our residency in Havana; which is a primary reason for us to highlight these pieces through our Archives Exhibition instead. 

The programme at Brigade is eclectic, though with a focus on art which breaks new ground or stands apart. We are always on the look out for pieces that are explorative in an artist’s oeuvre or iconic/representative of the artists’ practise as a whole. 

For BRIGADE ARCHIVES #1 we have sought to highlight some of the new perspectives that have been developed during the quarantine, which has obviously given quite a few artists the time and space to revisit their practise and experiment. 

It has also given us the opportunity to highlight spheres of current interest, as seen in the post-Google art of Ry David Bradley and Petra Cortright, who are rightly gaining more prominence at present. 

After the dreariness of quarantine we have definitely sought to include works that can remedy the darkness of winter and lockdown. My impression is that everyone would like to counter recent events with a declaration of life and of enjoyment, without forgetting what has just passed.  

I think this recent period of global closure has made it even more pressing to make sure that the individual art scenes aren’t limited to only local productions and artists.  

Art is about communication and about the exchange of ideas and sentiments. For these reasons it is pivotal that we offer up a node of exchange, not only through our exhibition programme, but in all of our endeavours. 

It would be a great sadness if the current situation gave rise to insular and closed off societies. "

15 APRIL 2021

NOW OPEN - BRIGADE ARCHIVES #1

Brigade is pleased to announce the opening of BRIGADE ARCHIVES #1, a group exhibition featuring new works, as well as favourites from the Brigade gallery archive.

Exhibiting artists include: Alex Da Corte, Andrius Zakarauskas, Artemio, Brian Montuori, Kasper Sonne, Kristian Touborg, Nhozagri, Petra Cortright, Ry David Bradley and Zane Lewis.

Following the easing of COVID restrictions and the completion of extensive renovation work, the gallery and our onsite bookshop/café will now return to regular public opening hours (Tuesday-Friday; 12:00-18:00, Saturday; 11:00 - 15:00).

Installation photos of the exhibition can be found here.

06 APRIL 2021

NEW SALES/ARTIST LIAISON KAREN FOSS BECKER 

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of our new Sales/Artist Liaison Karen Foss Becker. 

 
Karen will help in the ongoing development of Brigade’s relationships with collectors, museums and gallery artists. Joining us from Sotheby’s, she brings with her years of experience working with important private collections both inside Scandinavia and beyond. 

 
We very much look forward to working together. 

 
Welcome to Brigade Karen.

31 MARCH 2021

PROGRAMME ANNOUNCEMENT:
NICOLE COSON & GARRETT PRUTER

Brigade is thrilled to announce that on 21 August we will be presenting a duo exhibition by Nicole Coson (b. 1992) and Garrett Pruter (b. 1987). 

Both based in London, the two artists each incorporate painting, installation, digital imagery and performative elements into their respective practices, and share an interest in the aesthetics of that which is seen but remains unexamined. 

Creating works that act as “architectural interventions” into familiar spaces, Coson investigates how ideas of visibility or concealment inform our contemporary understanding of memory, trauma and identity. 

Similarly interested to explore how the disappearance of images or the overlooking of absurd phenomena informs our experience of late-capitalism, Pruter frequently returns to images that appear “endlessly recycled and reconfigured.” 

For their exhibtion in August, the gallery looks forward to presenting the first series of collaborative works to be produced by Coson and Pruter, as well as new works by each of the artists individually. 

12 MARCH 2021

UPCOMING EXHIBITION: BRIGADE ARCHIVES #1

The gallery is thrilled to announce the first exhibition in our upcoming programme for the rest of the year: Brigade Archives #1, a group show featuring new works alongside favourites from the Brigade archive.

Exploring the cross-cultural affinities between artists whose different investigations of contemporary experience incorporate Pop iconography, quotidian materials and the visual language of post-Google painting, the exhibition will open on Thursday 15 April and will continue until 27 May 2021.

Exhibiting artists will include:

Alex Da Corte, Andrius Zakarauskas, Artemio, Brian Montuori, Kasper Sonne, Kristian Touborg, Nhozagri, Petra Cortright, Ry David Bradley and Zane Lewis

04 MARCH 2021

GALLERY UNDERGOING RENOVATIONS 

The gallery will be closed from 01 March whilst we undergo renovation work and general spring cleaning (brand new floors here we come).

Brigade will be re-opening after Easter with a full exhibition programme for the rest of the year; we are excited to share more with you about some of our fantastic upcoming collaborations.

Watch this space for more news soon. Until then, have a great March from all of us at the gallery.

19 FEBRUARY 2021

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIANCA MENNA

Congratulations to the artist and poet Bianca Menna who is celebrating her 90th birthday today. 

Working under the pseudonym Tomaso Binga since 1977, Bianca Pucciarelli Menna (b. 1931 in Salerno, Italy) first adopted the masculine moniker to subvert the artworld’s sexist bias against women artists. 

We are honoured to announce that in Autumn 2021, Brigade will present the first solo exhibition in Scandinavia by Tomaso Binga. The exhibition will be an extensive survey of Binga's prolific career, displaying historic pieces alongside a new body of work created especially for the show. 
 

We very much look forward to the collaboration. Buon compleanno Bianca! 

22 JANUARY 2021

ANNE NOWAK:
"THE COSMIC WALL"

Speaking to the compulsive and repetitive habits we find ourselves gravitating towards in times of restriction and solitude, the garish and somewhat sinister appearance of Nowak’s performative persona resembles both an impotent puppet-master and a puppet without a guiding influence. Nowak’s work reminds us not only of a Sisyphean punishment but also of Penelope's shroud-weaving in its repetitive rhythm and the meditative, self-absorbed nature of its gestures. At the same time, the performance's placement in the hyper-visible space of the gallery’s first-floor windows raises important questions about internal and external division and the inter-relation between estrangement, well-being, exclusion and assimilation.

07 JANUARY 2021

HAPPY NEW YEAR - SEE YOU SOON (WELL, MAYBE)

In line with the government’s most recent COVID advice for businesses in Copenhagen, the gallery will remain closed to the public until the 28th of February.

But fear not! We will be posting artworks from the gallery archive and working hard across all our digital platforms to keep your art appetites ticking over in the meantime

To hear more about specific work or to request a PDF from one of our recent shows, we are always available, send an email to: gallery@brigade.site

Our webstore is also open 24/7 and regularly updated with new products! We will continue to ship out all orders during this difficult period to help bring a slice of the art world to you at home. 

Stay safe and Happy New Year from everyone at Brigade, we look forward to seeing you soon.

27 NOVEMBER 2020

NOW OPEN: PREPARATION – CURATED BY IMPORTANT MAGAZINE

In many ways, PREPARATION is an immersive extension of the editorial strategy that Lizet Hee Olesen and Anne Strandfelt have been developing in their magazine over the past three years. Intuition and serendipity are guiding principles. Artworks that achieve a potency of affect and produce vivid sensory experience are prioritised.

With the exhibition's curators relying more on a faith in subjectivity rather than an attempting to promote a particular thesis, the body, its senses and the capacity for art to enact a material effect on human lives all lie at the heart of this exhibition.

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Installation photos of the exhibition can be found here.

20 NOVEMBER 2020

NOW OPEN: PREPARATION – CURATED BY IMPORTANT MAGAZINE

Brigade is pleased to announce the opening on 27 November of PREPARATION, a multi-disciplinary group show curated by the founders of IMPORTANT Magazine, Lizet Hee Olesen and Anne Strandfelt. 

Extending the gallery's interest in showcasing differing approaches to future aesthetics, PREPARATION identifies the role that spirituality might play (alongside advances in digital technologies) in shaping our collective consciousness in the future.

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The press release is accessible here.

10 NOVEMBER 2020

CRIT - RY DAVID BRADLEY &  PETRA CORTRIGHT

In the latest Brigade Crit, Petra Cortright and Ry David Bradley talk about the specificities of their practices, discuss the state of post-Internet art, review the challenges of this pandemic year and reflect on their recent solo exhibitions at our gallery.
 

The Ry David Bradley x Petra Cortright Crit is accessible right here.

10 OCTOBER 2020

UPCOMING EXHIBITION: PETRA CORTRIGHT

We are delighted to announce that we will open Petra Cortright’s exhibition Rouge Vif d’Étampes on 24 October. Cortright is a notable member of what became known at the ‘Post Internet’ art movement of the mid-to-late 2000s. Her multifaceted artistic practice stems from creating and manipulating digital files, but although digitally conceived her artworks physically exist in many forms - printed onto archival surfaces, projected onto existing architecture, or mechanically carved from stone.

Petra Cortright’s exhibition Rouge Vif d’Étampes will be open for public viewing from 24 October to 21 November 2020.

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