Five Things - Frederik Nystrup-Larsen & Oliver Sundqvist
The creative partnership between artists Frederik Nystrup-Larsen and Oliver Sundqvist has proven to be one which continuously questions the current state of contemporary art. Working at the intersection of art and design, the duo has through previous exhibitions (i.e. Off License - Cash Only) reinterpreted the processes of consumerism, serving critique on overconsumption and poor manufacturing.
The Copenhagen/London based duo have among others produced vases for the restaurant NOMA, exhibited at Art Basel and established a couple of impressive solo-exhibitions even before leaving school.
We sat down with Frederik Nystrup-Larsen & Oliver Sundqvist to get their “5 Things” /
What was the moment that changed your world?
O / When I learned to walk so that I could start exploring the world.
F / I don’t recall any such sublime moment. I am intellectually and physically dependent on regular variation and change. As for the world, I don’t understand mine or any world(s) as static - hence chance is the natural state. But let us address ´change´ in relation to our professional alliance. 'Mater’ the first collective project between Oliver and myself was a vase originally created as a Christmas present for our mothers - it ended up at Noma. Things did take a turn from here rapidly - admittedly. Our first solo exhibition SOFT BOXING at Eighteen Gallery was another great experience that showed to be central/beneficial for our further actions.
Where in the world is your physical and spiritual home?
O / My physical home is in Copenhagen, Denmark. My spiritual home is somewhere between space and time.
F / For the moment I am based in London. As a kid, I grew up in a suburb north of Copenhagen, next to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. This area holds a special place in my heart. Even so, I somehow find Copenhagen, to be the true answer to this question. Winter is brutally depressing and long but I don’t imagine ever letting go.
What does the world need now?
O / For people to wake the fuck up and live there lives with respect and loyalty to the planet.
F / People might be awakened. But the feeling of responsibility should be as well. Actions should follow.
Who and what rocks your world?
O / I don’t think there's any one specific person. What really rocks my world is music; it’s the first thing that I put on in the morning and the last thing that I shut off before going to bed. I couldn't live without it.
F / Its contextual and situational dependent. It’s kind of like answering what my favourite dish is ( canned mackerel fillets in lemon oil and pepper - for the moment.)
A lot of our work questions our surrounding world, so I’m very inspired by characters who challenge established understandings of and structures within this world - I like to look towards multiple disciplines for inspiration upon this topic. As for now, I’m very inspired by people saying NO. - which could also relate to what the world needs now.
How do you use the world to inspire your creative process?
O / I get inspired by small details in everyday life. It could be while being surrounded by nature or passing by some odd little object from a construction site that could trigger inspiration for a new idea.
F / As touched upon above - the source and the formats of my inspiration are relative and flexible. So are my methods; Sometimes I need to dig into history, do deep research and source good references. At other times method is a change of scenery, reading a casual book or talking to an old friend.
Our creative process is split into phases - initially, we would spend a lot of time reflecting, not stressing about it. Being slow, doing actions not related to the project or our practice. The following phase; the physical execution of the idea, is built on intuition and (often an unhealthy) tempo. Stress is welcome as we work like machines, brains left aside.
This structure and the variation is a joy - fun is a huge part of our practice!
