MIKKEL CARL 

In his first exhibition at ANNAELLEGALLERY, Mikkel Carl presents a new series of works focusing on painting as physical and discursive practice.

0-110 DVC is a series of paintings on titanium – a metal with the unequalled quality to permanently change color when exposed to sulfuric acid while connected within a fixed voltage electric circuit. In a chemical process called ‘anodizing’, a layer of microscopic crystals builds on the surface of the titanium plates, which in turn refracts the light. The higher voltage, the thicker the layer of crystals grow, and thus the further along the color spectrum the light will travel, yielding shades of brown, purple, blue, yellow, red, green, white, etc. 

Using a number of techniques such as soaking, masking, scratching, dusting and polishing the surfaces, Mikkel Carl explores this unique process of making brightly colored abstract paintings entirely without the use of pigment. 

In addition, Mikkel Carl will show a large white monochrome of sorts made from hessian, which is surfaced with numerous layers of household paint. The piece has recently been cut directly from the hessian walls at Den Frie – Centre of Contemporary Art in Copenhagen, as the extension added in the sixties was being demolished, bringing Den Frie Udstillingsbygning by Danish artist J. F. Willumsen, back to its original exterior design.

Mikkel Carl (1976) lives and works in Sorø/Copenhagen. He has a BA in philosophy from Aarhus Universitet and a MFA from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Recent solo exhibitions include: It looks fake, but it feels real at Accademia di Danimarca in Rome, FUCK YES at Traneudstillingen – Gentofte Central Library, New Paintings Caught in the Headlights of Parking Cars at Ringsted Galleriet, and too sexy for my skin at Henningsen Gallery. Furthermore, Mikkel Carl has curated a number of group shows including: Some Objects are More Equal than Others at IAC in Malmö, IRL at PointB in New York, Distinguished from the melee of user comments and structurally misogynist chat rooms harbouring rapid-fire trolls at Gallery S:t Gertrud in Malmö and Lake of Fire at Den Frie – Centre of Contemporary Art in Copenhagen. Henningsen Gallery will do a solo presentation with the artist at Market 2014.