Peter Land

Peter Land is a Danish artist known for his satirical and humorous approach to art. 

Biography of Peter Land

Peter Land was born in 1966 in Aarhus, Denmark. From 1988 to 1994, he studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art, Copenhagen, Denmark. Later, from 1994 to 1995, he attended Goldsmith College in London, UK. 

Land's artworks have been exhibited extensively at various art institutions worldwide. His solo exhibitions include Another State of Mind, Globe Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark (1993); Project Space, Cultural Centre of Fundació La Caixa, Lieda, Spain (1998); Darlings, Landesgalerie Linz, Linz, Austria (2008); Springtime, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany (2012); Absolute Perfection, Städtische Galerie Remscheid, Remsheid, Germany (2013); Showbizz, Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark (2015); Dagens Helt, Kvindemuseet, Aarhus, Denmark (2019);  Die dummen Dänen, Keteleer, Antwerp, Belgium (2020), among others. 

Peter Land has also participated in group exhibitions, including Video Festival 1994, Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark (1994); Video screening, Centre d’art de Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland (1996); Au-delà du spectacle, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France (2000); Fairy Tales Forever: Homage to H.C. Andersen, ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, Denmark (2005); Zwei Sammler, Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, Germany (2011); Art & Porn, ARoS Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, Denmark (2019), and many more. 

His works can be found in esteemed collections worldwide, such as Sorø Kunstmuseum, Soro, Denmark;  Louisiana Museum of Contemporary Art, Humlebæk, Denmark; Essl Museum – Kunst der Gegenwart, Klosterneuburg, Austria; The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Oslo, Norway;  Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Herzliya, Israel, and others. 

Currently, Peter Land lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. 

Peter Land's Art Style

Peter Land's artistic practice extensively explores the delicate boundary between reality and the surreal, delving into the intricacies of the human condition. Utilizing himself as a primary source for research, he often transposes himself into his work, exposing his vulnerabilities. In this context, the idea of the child as a performer extends to the concept of the artist as a performer.

In a reality where the artist, artwork, institution, and spectator are inherently interconnected, the role of the artist extends beyond being a mere creator and assumes a multifaceted persona that can be typecast and subjected to certain expectations. Peter Land's work intimately exposes his emotions, offering a translation of these sentiments through his artistic creations. By emphasizing the contrasts between the public and private self, including what one might wish to conceal or present, as well as the expectations one has of others, Land prompts the spectator to question their own motives in this paradigm.

Peter Land's oeuvre revolves around the theme of human failure to fulfill the everyday and existential tasks of life. The artist skillfully presents the precarious nature of the human condition across diverse media. In one video, for instance, a drunk entertainer falls off his stool in front of his audience. In another work, the artist is rolling down the stairs. Viewers of these comical scenes find their laughter caught in their throats. Simultaneously, Land maintains an artistic signature that does not compromise his figures.