CAROLINE HEJE THON

Born 1986, lives and works in Copenhagen.

For any inquiries please contact carolinethonstudio@gmail.com.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a Copenhagen based visual artist with a practice centred in oil painting, but I also work with momonumetal painting and installation.

My practice is driven by a curiosity towards our affective responses to our surroundings.

Currently I am working with how we experience the relationship between our own inner psychobiological landscape and our perceived environments, especially in relation to disruptive events such as neurological trauma. I am experimenting with how such multidimensional and sensorial experiences can be expressed through paniting. I work a lot with painting and transparency and how overlapping motifs and moiré can mimic and resonate the multiplicity of the conscious experience and distortions in this flow.

In my earlier work I have explored the aesthetics of the male body in a project called Manscapes. This project examined the male body as an object to the female gaze and deals with intimacy, male beauty, fragility and materiality.

I hold a Master’s degree in biology and a Graduate Minor in Art History and I have worked with curation and project management and created both international mural exchanges as well as group exhibitions. I also have experience within the science museum field where I have worked with dissemination, research, curation and production at Medical Museion and Experimentarium, Copenhagen.

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS AND PROJECTS

2024, October 25th - December 7th: ‘In the light of, In the shadow of’, Solo show at Arden Asbæk Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark.

2024, December: Creating a new science inspired mural at Rungsted Gymnasium, Denmark

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2024

SKETCHES, group exhibition, Arden Asbæk Gallery, Copenhagen (DK).

2023

Grønne Drømme (participant and curator), group show, Kunstbygningen Filosoffen, Odense, Denmark.

Re-scaping, group exhibition, Archiv Massiv, Leipzig, August 2023 (DE)

Summer in the City, group exhibition, Martin Asbæk Gallery, Copenhagen (DK)

2022

Mirror Mirror, group exhibition, Arden Asbæk Gallery, Copenhagen (DK).

Rescaping, group exhibition, Limassol Municipal Arts Centre, (CY).

XYZ, Basement, curated by De Sceneste. Copenhagen (DK)

2021

Scaping, Group exhibition, Leipzig International Art Programme, Leipzig (DE)

3 Days of Design, Kristina Dam Studio exhibition at Arden Asbæk Gallery with surroundings curated by the gallery (DK)

Looking at me looking at you, Group exhibition, Arden Asbæk Gallery, Copenhagen (DK)

2019
The Artists’ Autumn Exhibition 2019, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen (DK)

Winter Selections, group exhibition, Væg Contemporary Art Gallery, Aalborg (DK).

BBA ARTIST PRIZE 2019, Group exhibition, BBA Gallery, Berlin (DE).

2017
Mind the Gut, Co-curator and sculptor, Copenhagen (DK).

2016
Design and production of mini-worlds for Experimentarium, Hellerup (DK).

2014
Solo exhibition at Galleri Hegnhøj & Blyme, Copenhagen (DK).

2013
Galore 2013, group exhibition, Krafwerket, Valby (DK).

2012
PARANORAMA, Better than TV, Lille Lottenborg
Galore 2012, group exhibition, Krafwerket, Valby (DK).
World it’s time to push the button, KPH VOLUME, Copenhagen (DK).

2011
Vinterudstillingen 2011/2012, Studenternes Galleri, Copenhagen (DK).
14x14x14, Group exhibition by ‘Det fri akademi’, KPH Projects, Copenhagen (DK).
Better than TV exhibition, Bikubenfonden, Copenhagen (DK).
Galore 2011, group exhibition, Krafwerket, Valby (DK).
Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, represented by Le Magasin de Connaisseur, Shanghai (CN).
The Big Bad Exhibition, Better than TV, Lille Lottenborg, Hellerup (DK).
LAB SHOW, Group exhibition, Det fri akademi, KPH Projects, Copenhagen (DK).

2010-2007
Galore, 2010, Better than TV, Group exhibition, Kraftwerket, Valby (DK).
Woodstock genopstår i Ørstedsparken, Better than TV, HC Ørstedsparken.
Galore, 2009, Better than TV, group exhibition, Kraftwerket, Valby (DK).
Galore, 2008, Better than TV, group exhibition, Kraftwerket, Valby (DK).
VK-udstillingen, 2007, open curated exhibition, Kunsthøjskolen i Holbæk, Holbæk (DK).

SELECTED MURALS

2024

Åndehul, 8 x 3 m. Tårnbygårdsskolen, Tårnby (DK)

2023

We grow together, 2 x 15 m. Krebs’ School, Copenhagen (DK)

2020
Bordando la historia, 13 x 6 m. Collaboration with Anís, La Unión (CL)

2019
Fødder Mødes/Meeting Feet, 4,5 x 17m. Copenhagen (DK)
Piececitos, 10 x 6 m. Valparaiso (CL).
Earth remains -I am fragile, 8 x 2 m. Viñar del Mar (CL).
Arbol de Cuentos, 5 x 3.5 m. Biblioteca Libro Alegre, Valparaiso, (CL).

2018
Hombre Pesado, 6 x 10 m. Valparaiso, (CL).
Pies Rezando, 2 x 3 m. Valparaiso, (CL).

CURATION, REASEARCH & TEACHING

2022-2023: Co-curator of the group exhibition Grønne Drømme at Filosoffen, Odense, DK. An exhibition that celebrates figurative painting and invites 15 of Denmarks most interesting painters to interpret the relationship between humans and plants in our time. Curated in collaboration with Ahmad Siyar Qasimi and Johan Ankersen.

2023: Facilitator of the mural project ‘Mental freedom’ at the French prison ‘Prison de la santé in Paris. A two week workshop, with 12 inmate participants, that resultet in a 12 x 5 meter mural on the wall of the prison yard wall. Made in collaboration with Secours Catolique.

2019-2022: Curation and development of the artistic exchange project ‘From port to port’ between Chile and Denmark, which has so far produced a grand mural by Inti Castro in Copenhagen and will bring more mural exchange between the two countries in 2022.

2016-2018: Research and co-curator at Medical Museion. Research the transdisciplinary co-curation between art, science and cultural history in relation to the exhibition Mind the Gut. Also in charge of development and production of installations for exhibition (Origins and Bacterial Worlds).

2013-2016: Project employee at Experimentarium. Working with exhibition development and production as well as EU projects on gender inclusive science teaching and communicating responsible research and innovation (NERRI and RRI-tools).

2012-2013: Teacher and guide at Experimentarium.

2011-2015: Guest teacher at Kunsthøjskolen i Holbæk.

AWARDS, GRANTS & RESIDENCIES

Residency with Oasi Space for visual experimentation, May 2022, supported by I-Portunus mobility grant .

Nordic Leipzig 2021, with Leipzig International Art Programme, supported by The Goethe-Institut and the Danish Arts Foundation.

Residencia de Investigaciones Estéticas de Valparaíso, with Dr. Phill. Ricado Loebell, March 2019, .

UMAC Award 2019, International Council of Museums, (as part of the Mind the Gut curatorial team).

BBA Artist Prize 2019, Winner of the Audience Award.

PUBLICATIONS

LIA Report 2021, https://liap.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Report-21-komprimiert-2.pdf

Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling 120, feature, I do art books, 2020

Mind the Gut Catalogue, poetic contribution: ‘Bacterial Babies’, Medicinsk Museion, 2019.

Curating experimental entanglements. /Bencard, Adam, Whiteley Louise, Thon, Caroline Heje. Curatorial Challenges: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Contemporary Curating. ed. / Malene Vest Hansen; Anne Folke Henningsen; Anne Gregersen. 1. ed. Routledge, 2019.

EDUCATION

2013-2016: Masters in Biology, with minor in art history. Thesis on the potentials of including artists in the work of science museums.

2008-2012: Bachelor in biology, with a minor in art history.

2007: Spring: Kunsthøjskolen i Holbæk. Fall: Vera School of art and design