Art-iculate: Last chance to catch Haervaerk in London

 Images throughout courtesy of Haervaerk

If you’re yet to check out young Danish artist Haervaerk’s work, visit the LAVA Collective's Gallery in Kingly Court, London pronto as this inspired exhibition ends this Thursday (17th Feb). To promote the exhibition The Lava Gallery’s Paddy Walsh interviewed the artist and as it makes quite an interesting read, you can read some of the Q-+A below, or read it in full here.

Tell me about the art scene in Denmark.
It used to be a pretty elitist scene: you had to have an Academy of Arts education in order to be taken seriously, but all that seems to have changed within the last decade or so. Denmark’s been hit by the whole lowbrow / street art wave. There are a lot of young people out there, who are just enjoying themselves. I really not qualified to judge the stuff they are putting on the walls, but who cares about that? They’re having a blast while expressing themselves, and that’s what it’s all about.

Where is the best district to find cool galleries / art spaces?
The part of the country I live in is pretty traditional in it’s views of art, but the galleries here are now becoming more open-minded towards emerging young artists. Copenhagen has more of an “art-scene”, where you can hang out with other artists, but since Denmark is such a small country, it doesn’t really matter where you live. I do occasionally miss a scene like that, although the solitude in Aalborg has it advantages too. Nevertheless, I’d say Copenhagen is more exiting as far as exhibitions are concerned.

Can you recommend some other Danish artists?
My best friend Morten Andersen has to be on top of that list, he does these awesome abstract graffiti-pieces. He has been a key character for me: I owe him so much. Husk Mit Navn is great too!
If I understand correctly, Haervaerk translates to “Vandal” ?
Actually, it translates to “Vandalism”, which is the title of a novel by Danish author Tom Kristensen. There’s a poem in the book that means a lot to me – roughly translated to English it goes something like: “My anxiety must be redeemed in longing, and visions of horror and distress / I’ve been longing for shipping disasters, vandalism and sudden death”.
LAVA Gallery, 1.11 Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, Soho, W1B 5PW