In Captivity but No Longer Dead

In Ladder Space - a 19th century horse stable in the meatpacking district, which is now housing exhibitions of contemporary art - you’ll find the exhibition In Captivity But No Longer Dead - by Olivia Rode Hvass. In the exhibition you will experience a site specific installation taking us back to the time where the horses took residence in the buildings. A universe of broken hearts, scarecrows and tapestries depicting horses in captivity and their memories of violence and grief. The installation features works from her series of digitally woven tapestries My Heart Breaks Every Day… …Until I Run Away. They are inspired by the mysterious medieval fantasies of the Hunt of the Unicorn (La Chasse à la licorne), dating back to 1495-1505, originally depicting French noble hunters capturing an exotic unicorn. The original story celebrates the conquest of the "exotic"/the virgin by the hunter/the man. In Olivia Rode Hvass' series, the horse is the main character, and here the escape from the violent systems and relationships end up with the horses running free. In Ladder Space we find ourselves lingering in a scenery of sorrow. A longing for change. Olivia Rode Hvass, visual artist graduated with a BA from the Jutland Academy of Fine Arts in 2021 and a masterclass with a large scholarship in TC2 weaving with Professor Corrie van Eijk-Doktor, Drachten NL. Rode Hvass works in a sculptural crossfield between textile and drawing. In recent years, she has expanded her metier to tapestries, where she combines her interest in cartoon and sketch drawing with craftsmanship in digital weaving. Her work unfolds out of an interest in identity-building in relation to the idols, emotions and expressions we are brought up with and brought up by, and the industry and history behind the textiles that surround us, intertwined in this. Rode Hvass' work has a subtle underlying humor which invites the viewer inside. The production of the work is supported by Statens Kunstfond and Dansk Tennisfond.