μmwelt

Title and year
μmwelt, 2022

Material
Mixed wood species, found plastic, bronze, silicone, and radiant acrylic. Epoxy adhesive, mineral oil, safety-glass aquariums, LED spots, concrete.

Artist
Silas Inoue (b. 1981)

Location
The temporary urban space at Nørreport.

Description

Silas Inoue works broadly with drawing, painting, sculptures, and installation art. Silas Inoue looks at contrasts, both thematically and in his choice of materials. By coupling classic and less conventional materials, he addresses issues such as globalisation, tourism, ecology, economy, and consumption.

In the temporary urban space, Silas Inoue has installed a series of three sculptures entitled μmwelt, each with a concrete podium and an aquarium. Each aquarium contains a unique sculpture made of mixed materials, including various wood species, bronze casts, silicone, plastic, and radiant acrylic which, like a prism, reflects light in all the colours of the rainbow. The sculptures are submerged in mineral oil, giving a general impression of reeds in wetlands, referencing the area’s past as a swamp or beach meadow, i.e. a low-lying grassy area that was flooded frequently.

From a distance, the sculpture series resembles abstract works with simple minimalist shapes. Close up, a minute underwater world emerges in the aquariums, inducing ideas of an indefinable place between past and present.

About the decorative project

Nørreportkvarteret som kunstdestination – værker af unge danske samtidskunstnere (the Nørrebro District as Art Destination – works by young Danish contemporary artists) is developed by Aabenraa Municipality in collaboration with Creator Projects, community ambassadors and the Aabenraa Municipal Visual Arts Committee. The project is backed financially by: the Danish Arts Foundation, Den Jyske Kunstfond, BHJ Fonden, and the Aabenraa Municipal Visual Arts Committee.

The full list of artists who have contributed to the project comprises Rune Bosse, Silas Inoue, Oskar Koliander, Mathias & Mathias, Helene Nymann, Torben Ribe, and Studio ThinkingHand. The works are the property of Aabenraa Municipality.