Esbjerg Women

Esbjerg Women forms part of the art project, WOMEN WHO CHANGE THE WORLD, which I have been working on since 2015.

The women of Esbjerg took their place in the labour market early on, organised themselves, and cared for family and vulnerable individuals in society.

I tell the story of the anonymous female figures who held the growing city together—women who were and are the glue of our society. These women must be made visible.

I portray historical and contemporary women from Esbjerg and the surrounding area—the lugworm digger, the worker, the cleaner, the mother, the entrepreneur, the leader, the artist, the athlete, the politician, and others.

My palette shifts from a kind of Nordic Noir, like the darkness of my Jutland homeland, to a colourful palette. The grey-blue, greenish and brown hues are the tones of the North, and they give the silent painting a subdued language that invites reflection and calm. The stronger colours, meanwhile, contribute more to a portrayal of the person, the landscape and the story. In Esbjerg Women, through my works and words, I tell the story of ESBJERG WOMEN WHO CHANGE THE WORLD and of women who have changed the world in and around Esbjerg.

The drama in the painting is created, among other things, by placing the figures physically in a vast emptiness, beneath a dark sky or against a dramatic background. Light and contrast are heightened when the very bright meets the very dark. Music is created from the poetry of colour tones. We long, we are drawn in, we feel it. We allow ourselves to fall in love with the mission!

The 20 works (2021–2024) have been exhibited at Esbjerg Art Museum, Esbjerg Museum and Esbjerg Music House. They have now found their permanent home at Sydvestjysk Hospital Esbjerg.