13 September – 27 October 2007


Private view: September 12, 2007 18:00 – 20:00 h


Peter Callesen “Unfolding”

 Emily Tsingou Gallery is pleased to present the second one-person exhibition in London of Danish artist Peter Callesen.

With a nod to Arte Povera, Callesen makes manifest seemingly impossible imaginings from a modest and ubiquitous material of our age - A4 copy paper. Alongside his larger site-specific installations, Callesen is perhaps best known for his signature A4 papercuts which weave references to a myriad narrative sources - from Greek mythology, Danish fairytales and biblical stories to childhood memory.

The austerity of subject matter and the starkness of the pure white paper is humbled with a somewhat quirky attitude towards life and death - an almost Beckettian sense of pessimism off-set with the absurdity of everyday life. The apparent fragility of Callesen’s creations may be interpreted as a poetic gesture to the transience and impermanence of beauty. Paper is also used in his performances in which destruction and fragility are at the core of the work. Callesen’s work doesn’t shy away from failure, but rather awards it centre stage, thus highlighting a sense of contingency which stands for the
human condition.

Peter Callesen lives and works in Copenhagen. His recent performances include “Folded” which was part of “ Mobile Journey”, at Venice International University, 2007. His work has been shown at the New Art Gallery Walsall, Chapter Gallery, Cardiff, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen and in 2006 was included in the Shanghai Biennale. Callesen has had solo exhibitions at the Kunsthallen Brandts, Denmark and The National Gallery in Copenhagen.

A 95 page monograph “Peter Callesen Selected Works” is available from the gallery and costs £15

via Emily Tsingou gallery , Peter Callesen

A 95 page monograph “Peter Callesen Selected Works” is available from the gallery and costs £15

For further information or images please contact Iben la Cour:

iben@emilytsingougallery.com / +44 (0)20 7839 5320

postscript :.. alive paper” by Peter Callesen