Bruno Zhu, "Men at Work"
12.09.2026-14.02.2027
MEN AT WORK
*English below
Med Men at Work indtager Bruno Zhu (f. 1991, PT) et af HFKD's mindst oplagte udstillingsrum, den smalle korridor, der forbinder kunsthallens store sale. Den lange passage med vinduer mod husets atriumgård betragter kunstneren som en allerede eksisterende catwalk – der i udstillingen vil blive befolket af en hær af mandlige ”modeller”.
De idealiserede modeller er hentet fra Dolce & Gabbana-kampagner fra 2005–2010 og klæbes som vinyludprint ovenpå menneskestore A-skilte i pap, yderligt beklædt med kitschet-gavepapir. D&G-modellerne – veltrænede, hårløse, halvnøgne – afspejler det paradoksale kønsforhold i periodens modefotografi, hvor mændene blev benyttet som rekvisitter for de kvindelige modeller, og forfladiget både som karakterer og arbejdere. Fjernet fra deres oprindelige kontekst fremstår de nu som repræsentanter for udviklinger i maskulinitet, seksualitet og forfængelighed, som kun er intensiveret i det globale nord i de sidste tyve år siden kampagnernes oprindelige distribution.
Men at Work er skabt i forbindelse med Zhus samtidige udstilling Women Upstairs på O – Overgaden i København. Hvor HFKD's korridor befolkes af flade billeder af mandlige modeller, møder publikum på O – Overgaden kvindelige mannequiner placeret i skulpturelle konstruktioner, der tager form efter de velkendte grønne nødudgangsskilte. De to udstillinger danner tilsammen en hypotetisk linje tværs gennem Danmark – fra Vest til Øst. På åbningsdagen forbindes de to udstillinger også helt konkret af en gratis bus fra København til Holstebro arrangeret som en kollektiv roadtrip af billedkunstner Mette Hammer Juhl.
Bruno Zhu (f. 1991, Portugal) bor og arbejder mellem Portugal og Holland. Senest har han udstillet på bl.a. Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, Lisabon (2026); M HKA, Antwerpen (2025); Chisenhale Gallery, London (2024); Veronica, Seattle (2024); og Cordova, Barcelona (2022). Siden 2016 har Zhu drevet det kuratoriske program A Maior fra sine forældres boligindretnings- og tøjbutik i Viseu, Portugal. Men at Work og Women Upstairs er Zhus første solopræsentationer i Danmark.
Udstillingen er venligst støttet af Statens Kunstfond, Holstebro Kommune, Færchfonden, Det Obelske Familiefond og Augustinus Fonden
With Men at Work, Bruno Zhu (b. 1991, PT) takes over one of HFKD’s less obvious exhibition spaces: the narrow corridor connecting the two main galleries. Zhu regards the long passage, with windows overlooking the building’s atrium courtyard, as a pre-existing catwalk – one that, for the exhibition, will be populated by an army of male “models”.
The idealised models are drawn from Dolce & Gabbana campaigns from 2005–2010 and appear as vinyl prints applied to life-size A-frame signs in cardboard wrapped in kitschy gift paper. The D&G models – muscular, hairless and half-naked – reflect the paradoxical gender dynamics of fashion photography at the time, in which men were used as props for female models and reduced to flat characters as well as workers. Removed from their original context, they now reflect shifts in masculinity, sexuality and vanity that have only become more pronounced in the Global North over the two decades since the campaigns were first circulated.
Men at Work was created in connection with Zhu’s concurrent exhibition Women Upstairs at O – Overgaden in Copenhagen. While HFKD’s corridor is populated by flat images of male models, at O – Overgaden visitors encounter female mannequins placed within sculptural constructions modelled on the familiar green emergency exit signs. Together, the two exhibitions form a hypothetical line across Denmark – from west to east. On the opening day, the exhibitions will also be connected quite literally by a free bus from Copenhagen to Holstebro, organised as a collective road trip by visual artist Mette Hammer Juhl.
Bruno Zhu (b. 1991, Portugal) lives and works between Portugal and the Netherlands. Recent exhibitions include Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, Lisbon (2026); M HKA, Antwerp (2025); Chisenhale Gallery, London (2024); Veronica, Seattle (2024); and Cordova, Barcelona (2022). Since 2016, Zhu has run the curatorial programme A Maior from his parents’ home furnishings and clothing store in Viseu, Portugal. Men at Work and Women Upstairs are Zhu’s first solo presentations in Denmark.
The exhibition program at HFKD is kindly supported by the Danish Arts Foundation, the Municipality of Holstebro, Færch Foundation, The Obel Family Foundation and Augustinus Foundation