unknown Provenance

2022 - 2023

A series of hand-modelled ceramic pieces. Terra sigillata on terracotta clay.

Unknown Provenance is about imagining the unknown.

The works in the series have a design which, in the upper part, resembles archetypal jars, while the lower part is 'dissolved' in a dynamic surface, reminiscent of a piece of cloth that wraps softly around the object, thereby obscuring the overall image of the object. The idea for the series arose while I was studying found pottery shards from ancient times, where the observer's fantasising about the original appearance, use and ownership of the tiny fragments inspired me.

The Museum of Classical Archaeology in Cambridge is in possession of over 10,000 pieces of found artefacts, and all of these objects are registered, categorized and archived in a drawer system. The objects whose origin is unclear fall into the category UP, which stands for ‘Unknown Provenance.

My project in 2022 in the Museum of Classical Archaeology was supported by: the City of Aarhus, Danmarks Nationalbank’s Aniversary Foundation, Ellen og Knud Dalhoff Larsens Fond

The production of the exhibition in the YTF Gallery in Taipei in 2023 was supported by the Danish Art Foundation.