Worlds Unfolded: Group Show

The idea of transformation through the fold is central to the works of the exhibition, Worlds Unfolded. The conceptual and philosophical premises of the fold have been masterly explored by the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze in his book, The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque. Deleuze examines how Leibniz conceived of the world not as a set of fixed substances, but as a dynamic network, in which the concept of the fold is central. For Deleuze, the fold is about process, how matter, bodies, and subjects are formed and transformed. The opposite of fold is not flatness, but rather a lack of transformation, stasis, rigidity. The fold as process and as a vehicle of constant transformation is at the core of Astrid Krogh’s Golden Horizon (2020). Using gold leaf to convey the deep glow and power of the sun, the artist has pleated the metal which, according to the depth of the pleat and the surrounding light, modulates the color nuances of the work. Through this subtle play with light and shadow, Krogh creates a gleaming, everchanging horizon of sunsets and sunrises. In Hanne Friis’ soft sculptures, the transformative force of the fold takes a more organic turn. With a needle and a nylon thread, the artist has pleated the fabric into dense volumes, that generate a sense of change and growth, reminiscent of skin folds, tree bark and topographic structures. What unites the artists and designers in Worlds Unfolded is their shared approach of thinking through the fold — working intimately and experimentally with material, without preconceptions. This process-driven engagement is epitomized by Cecilie Bendixen, whose Ph.D. research project explored the intersection of textiles and sound. Her guiding questions — how can sound be shaped by textile, and conversely, how can textiles be shaped by sound? — resulted in a series of sound-absorbing textile sculptures and installations. In these works, Bendixen pleated and hand-stitched fabric to enhance acoustic absorption, creating a dynamic interplay of form, light, and shadow. As the artist reflects: “The thread forms itineraries, systems and textures in which our thoughts are located, and new ways of organizing matter, allowing different thoughts, opening new paths in unknown terrain.”