Where mountains are mere hills (2025)

EU Commission Gallery, Dublin, September 2025

Where Mountains are Mere Hills is an exhibition about my birthplace, Western Jutland in Denmark, and the ambiguity I feel towards it. The landscape is seemingly idyllic, with roses and national flags waving from garden poles, all surrounded by a wild and beautiful ocean. However, things were done in a specific way there; life followed a list of boxes to be ticked: the education, the steady job, the house, the marriage, the children, the new car, and finally, retirement. Being the odd one out was not a positive thing. As a teenager, I could not wait to leave, and I promised myself never to return. I never did.

As I grew older, however, I began to appreciate the steadiness of Western Jutland. The communities were small but safe; life was slow-paced, quiet, and unstressful. The culture taught me not to brag and instilled in me a modesty that I have carried with me ever since. What I hated as a teenager was exactly what I came to love later in life.

Historically, Western Jutland was the poorest part of Denmark. It is a place where it is difficult for crops to grow and where the ocean remains dangerous for fishermen. I decided to mirror this history of poverty through my choice of materials, printing the photographs on simple cartridge paper using the cheapest available printer.

The ocean is an ever-present part of the landscape and the local culture, so it was important to make it the overshadowing element of the exhibition. Within this installation, I have included small details from the culture and history of Jutland, ranging from the coffee machine found in every farmer’s kitchen to the World War II bunkers that line the coast. The title of the show is taken from an old hymn that describes Denmark as a modest nation, concluding that not being "great" is precisely what suits the Danes.