Awkward Growth

"Awkward Growth" marks the first duo exhibition between artists Rasmus Niclas Rose Nielsen and Simon Fensholm, showcasing new individual works in form of paintings alongside collaborative works such as sculptures and installations. These works have been created specifically for the exhibition at Ovenpå during their one-month take-over of the exhibition platform and their first-time creating works together as a duo. The exhibition "Awkward Growth" explores various perspectives, scenarios, and interpretations of the physical and emotional growing pains one can encounter and endure throughout one’s upbringing and stages of life. Rose Nielsen and Fensholm delve into the adolescent transition from childhood to adulthood, emphasizing the vulnerability, exposure and awkwardness experienced during one’s youth. The title, Awkward Growth, extends beyond the physical clumsiness and the relentless rush of puberty, by referring to the personal and emotional shifts that can occur throughout life. As a visitor, one steps into a cohesive exhibition space where the artworks coexist in an open, poetic, and vulnerable narrative. This arrangement invites them to embark on a journey of discovery, allowing them to craft their own stories within the exhibition. Adding to the duo exhibition form, Rose Nielsen and Fensholm have invited four contemporary artists—Ida Retz Wessberg, Iris Bendt Hedal, David Noro, and Nolan Lem—to collaborate with them at Ovenpå. These guest-artists contribute as if they were featured performers on an album or carefully selected songs on a handmade mixtape for someone special. About the Artists: Simon Fensholm (b. 1985), based in Copenhagen. Fensholm holds an MA from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, obtained in 2015. He debuted at Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling in 2015 and the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition in 2016. His work explores themes of social relationships, community, and belonging within our society, focusing on communicative discourses that seem to transcend generations and cultural segments. His current practice also examines society's obsession with body image, beauty ideals, and self-presentation, along with the ambivalence and impacts these have on the individual. Fensholm has exhibited both nationally(Denmark) and internationally and is currently featured in the upcoming Enter Art Fair at Galleri Helle Knudsen, Stockholm, Sweden. Rasmus Niclas Rose Nielsen (b. 1992), based in Copenhagen. Rose Nielsen received his MFA from The Schools of Visual Arts, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts from 2017 to 2022, and also studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam from 2014 to 2017. Since 2015, the themes in his work have revolved around relationships, their semiotics, and their impacts across various topics—from the physical and mental to memory biases, origins, daily life, and relationships. His current works explore the facets of romantic relationships, capturing both the positive and negative episodes and everything in between. He has started to focus also on the significance and perspective of the parental role. Rose Nielsen has exhibited both nationally(Denmark) and internationally, with his most recent exhibition, "Landing 2023," held at Kunsthal Kongegaarden in Korsør, Denmark.