Niels Pugholm: That is so Awkward

Øhhm, Whoopsy, Whatever, and That is So Awkward are some of the everyday expressions that Niels Pugholm (b. 1983) adds to the history of art and under the glaze of his new works displayed in the exhibition That is so Awkward.

Through colorful vessels created with historical artistic and ceramic methodologies, Pugholm examines archeology and historiography and questions how we create meaning and identities through objects and words. He is especially interested in the unwanted non-academic words, slang, and expressions. The so-called in-between words that take up space and often are pure nonsense - but which also create culture and the voice of generations.

Through colorful slipware and abstract collages, Pugholm draws on the Avant-Garde, early American advertising slogans, and popular culture's depiction of subcultures. Eclectically he samples artistic methods and texts across time and place for example terra sigillata, a fine ancient form of slipware used by the ancient pharaohs until the fall of the Roman Empire. For Pugholm, there is a kinship between the body and vessel both in the creation process and with the engraving of words which adds life and personality to the vessels. For example, who uses the term "Super Duper" or "OMG"? Pugholm himself often uses the term "That's Totally Alright", but when adding this statement to the vessels he spelled it wrong why the jar now states "That's Totally Allright". A real Niels Pugholm whoopsy.

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