Tine Bek is a Danish artist
Episode 290: Tine Bek is a Danish artist whose work meets at the intersection of sculpture, photography, and the burgeoning re-examination of a baroque tendency that considers the overly ornamental emergence of material excess and its retreat into being observed as pure materiality plied by anthropocentric drives to manipulate and repurpose its natural state into a new state of plastic consumption (when I read it back to myself it does sound clunky, but not wrong).
Tine’s new book The Vulgarity of Being Three-Dimensional is another in a series of incredibly strong publications from Stinus at Disko Bay. The artist and the publisher have crafted what is already shaping up to be one of my favorite publications of the year. Tine’s sculptural interests pervade the work, but nothing is taken too seriously as to be pretentious. The ability to combine what, at its surface seems to be random and disparate elements is tied fluidly together by the artist’s consistent aesthetic and choice of subject matter. There is something oddly gothic or baroque in the work that is hard to explain easily. Perhaps it is a certain type of tension found in post-war European work, or work better stated, that has been made in our contemporary moment, where global tension, anxiety, and overproduction have left artists and people in general, in a state of despondent consideration for the future of the planet. There is something of an undeclared and lamentable letter to the world found in the book. I feel like the images are chaotic end notes for the fall.
In the episode, Tine and I speak about her work and the process of making it. We spoke about her travels and the different programs she went through university-wise. The conversation, despite my insistence on the darkness of her work, was lighthearted and humorous at times. I really can’t say enough about this book and I hope you tune in and find a copy. Disko Bay is doing great work and for my money is one of the more important younger publishers coming through right now. Tine is certainly an artist to watch!
