Alexander Tovborg

Alexander Tovborg is a contemporary Danish artist who creates semi-abstract paintings, sculptures, and drawings.

Biography of Alexander Tovborg

Alexander Tovborg was born in 1983 in Copenhagen, Denmark. From 2004 to 2010, he studied at The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Tovborg continued his education at Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Karlsruhe (Germany), from 2007 to 2009.

One of his first solo exhibitions was "I Tell You Weird Tales" at Bendixen Contemporary Art in Copenhagen (2006). His solo showcases also include "Tre" at  Museet for Religiøs Kunst in Lemvig (Denmark), 2011; "Eternal Feminine" at Gallery Nicelle Beauchene in New York (US), 2014; "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" at Blum & Poe in Los Angeles (US), 2016; "madonna" at Galleri Nicolai Wallner in Copenhagen (Denmark), 2022, among others. 

Tovborg's artwork has been featured in group exhibitions, including "Pro-Art" at Randers Kunstmusem, Randers, Denmark (2005); "Copenhagen Spirit" at Clausens Kunsthandel, Copenhagen, Denmark (2009); "F FOR FREEDOM" at Galeria Filomena Soares, Lisbon, Portugal (2012), "Fluid Flesh" at Nordic Contemporary, Paris, France (2014); "I Don’t Believe In Art, I Believe In People" (curated by Jen de Nike) at LX Gallery, New York, USA (2019); "Vera Icon" at Museet For Religiøs Kunst, Lemvig, Denmark (2022), among others. 

Alexander Tovborg’s work has been presented in various public collections, including Kunsthalle Bremen (Germany), ARKEN Museum of Modern Art (Denmark), ARoS (Denmark), Hammer Museum (USA), and Museet for Religiøs Kunst (Denmark). 

Alexander Tovborg's Art Style

Drawing inspiration from history, mythology, religion, and both written and oral traditions, Alexander Tovborg delves into the stories that have shaped our collective consciousness, seeking to reinterpret and recontextualize classical archetypes. He proposes a new reading of our current social and political situation, examining who we are and where we find ourselves today in the here and now.

Tovborg employs a meticulous and intricate technique, reminiscent of a rhythmic practice, immersing himself in diverse realms to create a visual language that permeates his body of work, spanning different series, figures, and motives. This visual language unifies his creations and establishes connections between disparate narratives, reminding us of the underlying similarities which run through many of the world’s origin stories.

Alexander Tovborg considers the emphasis on the various symbolisms that are found throughout these ancient narratives as essential to his practice, as he asserts the weight and power that images have within our contemporary culture, as well as how easily they can be manipulated and used against us. In his artistic endeavor, Tovborg strives to preserve the openness of these symbols, allowing each viewer the opportunity to perceive and interpret their comprehensive meanings.