Bloesem: ..Denmark

...Sidsel's favorite artisist is Søren Benhcke...and I completely understand why...

"Inside my dinning room you will see this painting by Søren Benhcke, called Team Amour, from 2007, which I bought in the beginning of this year – it was love at first sight and I just had to own it eventhough I had never spend that much before on one single piece…

Søren Benhcke alias papfar (1967) works and lives in Aarhus. He works with cardboard - painting, -sculpture, -installation, -action and –streetart and has a background in graphic design and comics – which may explain why I like his work so much – another reason could be the playfulnes and humour that runs through all of his works. Like in his street actions where he adds cardboard faces to sculptures in public spaces or his most famous action which took place in 2005, when he smuggled a giant cardboard-slingshot into Aros - Aarhus Kunstmuseum for Ron Mueck´s famous sculpture "Boy".

Søren Benhcke has within few years won great appreciation as an original artist taking streetart into new dimensions – and his cardboard sculptures of oversize pink tools and a complete Ferguson tractor 1:1 is pure craftmanship.

Søren Behncke is presented by Charlotte Fogh Contemporary – and at this local gallery´s website you can see more of his work – like this painting, titled No more walks. Enjoy!

Søren Benhcke is presented by Charlotte Fogh Contemporary – and at this local gallery´s website you can see more of his work – like this painting, titled No more walks. Enjoy!"

{Thank you so much Sidsel for writing these great posts and introducing us to Aarhus and Søren Benhcke}

* * *Spagat blog
* * *Spagat website

Sidsel is one of those ladies that always brings a positive and warm feel to you when visiting her blog, Spagat, which means doing the splits in Danish...and it´s also the name of Sidsel's Graphic Design Studio...today she is taking us on a tour trough her hometown Aarhus in Denmark...enjoy!

"First of all I would like to thank Irene for inviting me to take part in her project here at Bloesem.
Bloesem has been one of my favorite blogs since the beginning – and I appreciate this opportunity to share my local favorites with Bloesems´ readers.
I live in Aarhus, Denmark's second largest city, with a population of 300.000 inhabitants.
It´s one of the oldest cities in Scandinavia, but today one of the ”youngest” due to the averange age of the inhabitants - at the University of Aarhus alone there are nearly 35,000 students, and there is a total of 25 educational and research institutions in the city. What I enjoy most about living here is it´s location by the sea and forest and it´s cozy city center. It´s a city which has a lot to offer - and if you were my guest here in Århus I would make sure to share the following 2 things with you. Lynnfabriken

LYNfabrikken (the lightning factory)...best stop in Aarhus is LYNfabrikken and the first places that popped up when I had to choose a special place here in Aarhus. Because LYNfabrikken combines a lot of good things – like a clever concept, an organic café, a roof terrace with a view – creative people and a shop that displays and sells great products. It´s also a spot you will not easily find as a tourist – since situated in an old industry building - but it´s one of those little gems you would love to stumble upon when visiting Aarhus. In 2002 the building was converted into design studios and the attic became a café with a shop. The studios are now working spaces for 32 creative people of diverse fields of work: Architecture, industrial design, furniture, writers, graphics and interactive design.

The café and shop was build around the idea that a kitchen is not only a place for eating and drinking - but a meeting point for exchanging news, discussing and talking about all sorts of things.To transform this “kitchen situation” and make it public was one of the basic ideas
for the foundation of the platform LYNfabrikken. A place for casual exchange
for designers - a place that encourages creative communication and networking within the design scene. And they have managed just that + the food is good, the design magazines are plenty, the internet is free and so on. And in the shop you will find some of my favorite young danish designers/ceramicists like Joan Hoegh, Helbak, Tanja Moeller Jensen, Louise Kragh – so by picking Lynfabrikken I also had the chance to sneak in a few more names. I´ll leave you now on their roof terrace and recommend that you go for a walk in the forest afterwards – or go shopping in my hood the ” Latin Quarter” or have a look inside the Cathedral of Aarhus. Thanks for the visit – hope to see you again!"