about
Storyteller based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
origin story
When I was 20, I was done with art. Instead of chasing some impossible dream of being accepted into The Royal Danish Academy of Art after having been rejected twice – who needs that! – I felt I wanted to study sociology at the university instead.
But then I fell into a deep depression, right when I had to apply to the university. I looked at the sociology courses and the books I had to read, and nothing seemed less enticing. Same with anthropology, my backup major. What now?
A few days later, I accidentally looked up The Royal Danish Academy of Art. It’s very hard to get a sense of what the school actually is like, the texts on the website are rather academic and convoluted, but I saw a picture of an open space, with a big kitchen and artworks and luscious green plants hanging from the ceiling. I fell in love.
I always thought I could simply do something else, if the art thing didn’t work out. But looking at those university courses, I realized that my particular profile wasn’t cut out for academia. Or anything else, really. And now, I was in love with those green ceiling plants at the Art Academy. There was only one thing to do: apply *and get in*.
The deadline was in two weeks, and I had no recent works to apply with. But I had this newfound I’ll-do-whatever-it-takes energy, and so I wrote a little speech, set up a camera in my living room (after carefully coordinating the colours of my clothes and couch pillows), pressed record. I started telling the story of how I found out I was transgender, and as I’m talking, I get undressed. When I get to the point, where I say that I’d finally realized what was going on, that I was trans, I take off my underwear.
This video had to be exactly 0:58 seconds, because there had to be a two second title with my name and applicant number. I did 14 takes. I paid the 750DKK and sent it in with a few old photos. And I told no one.
Three months later, I received an email with a time slot for an interview. I thought it was going to be some old professor in a dusty office with a few questions, but they led me into the large auditorium, with a committee of twelve waiting for me, made up of professors, students, notable artists, and the headmaster. On a huge screen, my video starts playing, and as the performer is rapidly getting naked in the video in front of everyone, they sat me down and told me: “Begin.”
There’s a saying in Hollywood, that if you want to make it, you can’t have a plan B. And there was no plan B for me. Twelve strangers was watching a loop of my nude transgender body on an enormous screen, but I knew in my heart that they took it seriously, and that it wasn’t really my body, it was just material, so I smiled and started selling. At one point, I even left my chair and asked for the assistent to show some of the photos, so I could walk up to the screen and outline some of the movements in the images with my hands, comparing them to the themes of the video. I remember talking about the importance of entertainment in art, because while it’s not the destination, it’s a very effective vehicle to get there. The headmaster pressed me on this. I stuck to it.
In the fall of 2018, I started as a Bachelor’s student at The Royal Danish Academy of Art. Sometimes I say that I stripped my way into the art academy. A great number of my current teachers saw that video back then, but it’s not a problem, because after that day, my body is a tool, it’s material. Five years later, the Painting School professor stopped me in a classroom and said: “You applied with a video work and a story. Yes. I remember.”
CV
2025 – Specialization in performance by Irena Haiduk, The Royal Danish Academy of Art
2024 – Specialization in photography, The Royal Danish Academy of Art
2022-2026 – MFA, The Royal Danish Academy of Art – The School of Conceptual and Contextual Practice
2018-2022 – BFA, The Royal Danish Academy of Art
2017 – Mentorship by artist Peter Land
2017 – Member of art collective FUKK
2016 – Ignatius Art School
2016-2018 – In-house artist for art library Artoteket
2015 – Mentorship by artist Jørgen Michaelsen
2015-2020 – Member and chairman of art collective The Grey Warehouse
2014 – Mentorship by cinematographer Niels Buchholzer
2013 – CPH Film and Photo School
2010-2013 – Film and photo education at Station Next
exhibitions, etc.
2025 – Camera Club, Udstillingsstedet Q
2024 – ARKEN, Museum of Contemporary Art for Live Art for Kids 2024
2023 – Portrait NOW! at Museum of National History, Frederiksborg Castle
2022 – Opening speech as performance at The Royal Danish Academy of Art
2022 – Opening performance at Together Festival
2022 – Screening and talk of “The Whole Alphabet” at Together Festival
2022 – “Egg-Cited” bachelor exhibition at Brønshøj Gamle Skole
2021 – Portrait NOW! at Museum of National History, Frederiksborg Castle
2021 – Portrait NOW! at Ljungbergmuseet, Sweden
2021 – Opening speech as performance at The Royal Danish Academy of Art
2020 – OPGØR, Chart Art Fair, Kunsthal Charlottenborg
2020 – Rundgang at The Royal Danish Academy of Art
2020 – Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition
2020 – Concert performance at Bellahøj Kirke
2020 – Concert performance for Fremtidsfabrik
2019 – Permanent public decoration of Vangede Station for DSB
2019 – Performance for first year show at The Royal Danish Academy of Art
2019 – Opening speech as performance for Ungdommens Vårsalong
2018 – Scenography for Teater Grob
2018 – The Grey Warehouse Summer Exhibition
2017 – Group show at Artoteket
2016 – Featured in mosaikk magazine
2016 – Duo show at Artoteket
2016 – Solo show at Venligboernes Hus
2016 – Group show at KBH Kunst, CPH Photo Festival
2016 – The Grey Warehouse Spring Exhibition
2016 – Group show at Studenternes Galleri, Copenhagen University Amager
2016 – Admitted to the art collection at art library, Artoteket