Louise Hindsgavl: Conversation Pieces

The Danish sculptor Louise Hindsgavl (born 1973, lives in Copenhagen) is known for hybrid figurines made of porcelain and glazed stoneware: half animal, half human. Only their material evokes the idealized and kitschy scenes traditionally rendered in porcelain; however, Hindsgavl’ s “ sculptural collisions” tell of disturbing encounters between tormented beast-like people. For that she draws from brutal folktales of the past as much as from the ubiquitous “ fairytales” of today’ s social media that normalize violence, sexual abuse, and self-harm. Using one of the most fragile materials, she brings these trends into focus for discussion, calling her sculptures Conversation Pieces— which is also the title of this interesting and provocative book.