Malene Hartmann Rasmussen is a Danish artist whose work primarily involves narrative figurative sculpture and installation. Her mixed-media ceramic installations are expansive and showcase a surplus of visual elements. They consist of fairy tale creatures concealed in the dark woods. Her fascination with forests arises from their repeated appearances in European literature and myth, ancient cults, and pagan rituals, and as a metaphor for the hidden domains of the subconscious mind.

Rasmussen’s artwork draws on animism, which suggests that plants and animals possess souls and that mountains, rivers, and rocks are somehow sentient, if not alive. She is preoccupied with the human unconscious and aims to create an exaggerated, surreal world that emphasizes the disparity between perception and reality. At first glance, her intricate ceramics may appear overly saccharine, but upon closer examination, they reveal themselves to be impossible and ridiculous objects, pervaded by the artist’s own dark narrative.

Rasmussen’s installations evoke a frozen moment that alludes to a narrative and atmosphere while simultaneously allowing the viewer to filter their own experiences through. Her work invites audiences into a strange and surreal realm where appearances are deceiving, and things are not always as they seem.

Website: https://www.malenehartmannrasmussen.com
IG: @malenehartmannrasmussen

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