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Quicksand

Nikolaj Larsen in collaboration with Duncan Pickstock

Galeria Presença, Porto

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Title
Quicksand
Gallery
Galeria Presença, Porto
Year
2017
Duration
21 min
Format & Technical

16:9 HD

Quicksand is an audio and video installation set in 2033. It tells the story of Jason, a man fighting for his life in the Mediterranean Sea. Quicksand amplifies tendencies within present day Europe and sets it in the near future in a hostile environment where the manufacturing industry is long gone, job security is a thing of the past, and people are competing for work that is poorly paid and on a casual basis. The economy has imploded, hospitals and state schools are closing, trains rarely run. Politically, the far right has become increasingly influential, taking advantage of people’s frustrations to stoke resentment against immigrants. EU has collapsed and throughout Europe, borders have closed. It is against this backdrop that Jason, a husband and father has decided to join the exodus of people who pay people smugglers to help them leave Europe in the hope of starting a new life ‘somewhere else’. Jason’s journey ends when the boat he is in capsizes and he and many other European migrants are struggling to survive.

  • Loop Fair Mention Honor 2019

Stills

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Nikolaj Larsen in collaboration with Duncan Pickstock

Artist
www.nbsl.info

1971, Aalborg

Nikolaj Larsen in collaboration with Duncan Pickstock

Nikolaj Larsen (1971) lives and works in Paris. He undertook a master’s degree in Fine Art and Media at Slade School of Fine Art in London (2001) and a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art and Sculpture at Chelsea College of Art in London (1999). Nikolaj Larsen uses a variety of technological media (photo, video, installations) to create work with a deeply humanistic engagement at its core. Though his work addresses political and social issues, his approach remains sensitive, careful and engaging. He attended several artistic residencies – Qwatz, Calabria (Italy, 2014); PiST///, Istanbul (Turkey, 2012); Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI), Santa Fe (USA, 2009); Al Mamal Foundation for Contemporary Art, Jerusalem (2006) – and his work is represented in public and private collections, such as Sharjah Art Foundation, United Arab Emirates; Museum of London, UK; Kunsten Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg, Denmark.

 

Last update 22nd October 2019