At the end of the 19th century, a group of artists gathered in Skagen. In line with th artistic trends of the time, they sought to depict nature and local communities as realistically as possible. The local population and the harsh lifestyle of the fishing village became the subject of extensive artistic interpretation, which in turn influenced our collective perception of Skagen and the people who lived there.
In our present time, marked by ongoing climate, biodiversity, and environmental crises, it remains crucial to reflect on the places where we live, work, and spend time. Equally important is the awareness of how and why we relate to these places. What role does the fishing industry play in shaping a place, a town, and the natural world on which it depends? And how do climate, the environment, and commercial incentives influence our capacity to imagine the future?
Overlooking the heathland, the sea, and the industrial harbour, we present Evolutionary renegade 2025, a newly produced and site-specific solo exhibition by Asta Lynge. The exhibition explores aspects of modern industrial fishing, which today constitutes the majority of activity at the Port of Skagen.
Drawing on Skagen’s contrasting landscape – its protected nature, industrial fishing, and the culturally charged history of light and life – Evolutionary renegade 2025 examines the fishing industry in 2025 through a speculative lens with a particular curiosity about the impact of technological development and questions of sustainability, scale, and consumer behaviour.
Monuments and Narratives
At the heart of the exhibition is a speculative portrait of a large, hungry cat working in the fishing industry. The video work, primarily filmed at the Port of Skagen, explores the interplay between intuition and technology in the fishing trade – a field, like many others, that has undergone rapid technological transformation. How do efficiency and digitalisation interact with the cultural narratives of fishing and the intergenerational knowledge passed down from fisher to fisher? And can an exhausted cat reimagine the food chain between animal, human, and machine?
At the heart of the exhibition is a speculative portrait of a large, hungry cat working in the fishing industry. The video work, primarily filmed at the Port of Skagen, explores the interplay between intuition and technology in the fishing trade – a field, like many others, that has undergone rapid technological transformation. How do efficiency and digitalisation interact with the cultural narratives of fishing and the intergenerational knowledge passed down from fisher to fisher? And can an exhausted cat reimagine the food chain between animal, human, and machine?
The relationship between technology and progress is central to many of Asta Lynge’s works, and she often works associatively across materials and processes, rooted in a concept or allegory. Pop and consumer culture regularly play a role in her artistic investigations, and in this exhibition, she employs this strategy by working with various interpretations of the Eiffel Tower – reminding us of questions of scale and monumentality. Evolutionary renegade 2025 is thus a multifaceted and speculative exploration of the fishing industry in 2025, urging us all to turn our attention to the industry and to the stories we tell – and are told.
Fakta
Asta Lynge graduated from Central Saint Martins (2012) in London and was subsequently part of the CSM Associate Studio Programme (2013–16). She is a recipient of the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl Nielsen Talent Award (2022) and has recently exhibited at Den Frie Udstillingsbygning (Copenhagen), Francis Irv (New York), Overgaden (Copenhagen), Braunsfelder (Cologne), Kunsthal Charlottenborg (Copenhagen), and Fuglsang Art Museum (Guldborgsund).
Kilde:
Skal Contemporary
Skal Contemporary