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"(...) Allan Otte’s scenes are undramatic, depopulated, and stagnant. As for the atmosphere, a cool and matter-of-factly tone is set. The gaze is waiting, observing, and investigating. A car is lying in a ditch, the accident has already happened. A tractor with an overturned trailer and a capsized wagonload of bales of straw is waiting quietly by the roadside, and a truck is wedged in under a bridge, but we do not see any rescue workers or other people one might expect would be present in such a situation. In other paintings, we see landscapes – not beautiful, captivating landscapes, but ordinary, flat, prototypical, Danish, civilised landscapes, used landscapes with many signs of human activity (sometimes an unrealistic amount of them), landscapes with only a few trees, broad fields, fences, wrapped-up bales of straw, black asphalt roads, crash fences, and machines and buildings in various states of disrepair. The paintings show us these landscapes, not in order to idealise them or criticise them, but because they contain an impartialness – although they might suddenly take on – and perhaps continually take on – a dreamlike nature and become grotesque, apocalyptic or melancholy pictures filled with atmosphere and confused conceptions to go with it. The landscapes, and the images of crashed vehicles and worn-out or burning agricultural machines that the landscapes set the scene for, are thus balancing on the edge between dream and documentation. On the one hand, they make use of some of the reality effects developed in the course of time by photography and realism, and they never seek to hide the presence of photographic sources. On the other hand, by using the broad format, a number of grotesque constellation of subjects, and the un-photographic co-ordinations of keenness and dimness at the same level, they emphasise their own collage-like nature and expose the subjects as imaginary, invented and sometimes almost theatrical situations. (...)" - Extract from text written by Mikkel Bogh (full text here).
Allan Otte is born 1978 and educated at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2002-2007. Recent solo shows: ”Noble Rot Blues”, Galleri Tom Christoffersen 2014 “Nye Strækninger”, Galleri Tom Christoffersen 2012, ”Efterbilleder” Gl. Holtegaard og Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg 2010 og ”Landskabsmaleri” Skive Kunstmuseum 2009. Represented: Kunsten - Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, Skive Kunstmuseum, Arken, Ishøj. In 2013 Allan Otte received Silkeborg Kunstnerlegat, and in 2014 H.H. Bruuns Grant. Allan Otte is represented by Galleri Tom Christoffersen.
Selected solo exhibitions:
Naturligvis - Landskabsmalerier af Allan Otte, Fuglsang Kunstmuseum, 2021
Naturligvis - Landskabsmalerier af Allan Otte, HEART Museum of Contemporary Art, 2020
Tættere på Naturen, Galleri Tom Christoffersen, 2018
EVALD, Galleri Tom Christoffersen, 2017
Noble Rot Blues - solo, Galleri Tom Christoffersen, in collaboration with Royal Copenhagen, 2014
Nye strækninger, Galleri Tom Christoffersen, 2012
Efterbilleder, KUNSTEN - Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, 2010
Efterbilleder, Gammel Holtegaard, 2010
Stille billeder, Galleri Tom Christoffersen, 2008
Fødsel, 2020, Acrylic on board, 77.5 x 129.1 cm
Naturskildring (avlsarbejde), 2018, Acrylic on board, 117 x 175.5 cm
Skabelsen, 2017, Acrylic on board, 84.5 x 118.3 cm
Sædemanden, 2016, Acrylic on MDF board, 160 x 260 cm
Høst (sammenbrud), 2019, Acrylic on board, 89.4 x 111.8 cm
Landet (gylden ellipse), 2012, acrylic on board , 88,7 x 143,5 cm (1m2)
Lundbye Remake (5:6), 2011, acrylic on board , 91,3 x 109,5 cm
Ramt (Hit), 2007, acrylic on board , 122 x 250 cm , Presented at the Carnegie Art Award 2008
Udbrændt (Burnt Out), 2007, acrylic on board , 122 x 250 cm , Presented at the Carnegie Art Award 2008
Furer (1:3), 2012, acrylic on board , 57,7 x 173,2 cm
Ny begyndelse (New Beginning), 2010, acrylic and alkyd on board , 122 x 250 cm
Slut (The End), 2008, acrylic on board , 122 x 250 cm
Allan Otte Fugl (Bird), 2009, acrylic on board , 100x100 cm
Mellem uendelighed og slutning (1:1), 2012, acrylic on board , 100x100 cm
Commission at Nørrebro Teater, 2014
Commission at Nørrebro Teater (1), 2014, Acrylic on board
Ophobning (Accumulation), 2010, acrylic on board , 205 x 260 cm , Purchased by The Danish Arts Foundation
Indgreb (Interference), 2007, acrylic on board , 205 x 260 cm , Graduation work from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Cph. Exhibited at EXIT 2007, Gl. Strand Collection: Kunsten – Museum of Modern Art Aalborg
Installation View, Paintings by Allan Otte commissioned by Erhvervs- og Byggestyrelsen (Danish Enterprise And Construction Authority)
I stykker, 2009, acrylic on board , 175 x 175 cm , Commissioned by Erhvervs- og Byggestyrelsen (Danish Enterprise And Construction Authority)
Delt, 2009, acrylic and alkyd on board , 175 x 175 cm , Commissioned by Erhvervs- og Byggestyrelsen (Danish Enterprise And Construction Authority)
Nedtrykt, 2010, acrylic on board , 175 x 175 cm , Commissioned by Erhvervs- og Byggestyrelsen (Danish Enterprise And Construction Authority)
Presset, 2010, acrylic on board , 175 x 175 cm
Installation view painting by Allan Otte, Commissioned by Saxo Bank, Copenhagen
Mobilt billede, 2010, acrylic on board , 110 x 350 cm , Commissioned by Saxo Bank, Copenhagen
Fårup omegn potpourri, 2006, acrylic on board , 122 x 407 cm , Purchased by Københavns Kommunes Billedkunstudvalg
God Damn the Sun, God Damn the Light it Shines and this World it Shows, 2006, acrylic on board , 117 x 250 cm , Collection: Skive Kunstmuseum, Skive