Seven giant trolls have broken into a Danish museum during the night....

The «Garbage Man» is is an exhibition at ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art, south of Copenhagen, Denmark. The exhibist is Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist / sculptor who has become world-renowned for his giant trolls, which he builds from recycled materials and other wood waste. Then he places them somewhere out in natural areas. This is Dambo’s first exhibition featuring trolls placed indoors rather than out in nature. The museum invited him to create this exhibition, which offers a different perspective on how we consume and what constitutes waste. This summer I have had my first encounter with two of his outdoor trolls. These encounters has inspired me to check out more of his work by visiting this exhibition.

The museum is situated on an island, a short trainride south of Copenhagen. As we approach, the building looks almost like a work of art in itself. From what I have read, it was designed by a Danish architect and modeled after a shipwreck. It opened in 2016 here at Ishøy. The landscape is varied, consisting of dunes and lagoons, water and bridges. After arriving by train, we walked the final stretch. Along this "art path," known as the Arkenwalk, we encounter 32 red lanterns created by a Danish artist. Unfortunatly it was a rainy day, but we managed to visit one of the outdoor trolls before it started to poor down.

After a short walk we found Oscar - the troll underneath the bridge. He was troll number 13 which makes him among the first trolls Dambo made. He is no longer in particularly good condition. When we eventually head indoors and see the newer trolls, we can also see how Dambo has evolved over the years he has been working. (see the previous post featuring trolls).

Then we entered the exhibition room that features 7 giant trolls. They have broken into the museum during the night. They fill the room with trash and constructed this giant human figure made entirely from waste. Through this installation, the artist shows us that everything we throw away still holds value. All the trolls have a metal plate on the floor with their name and the number they hold in the sequence of all the trolls he has created. This troll is "Damp Boman" with number 179.

This is «Kai Heart», troll number 180. He seems to be overlooking the room and the working trolls.

Then I enter the room, walking down the stairs. The troll in front of me is "Tank Toke" , number 181. She is holding plastic, pointing at the human figure. Or maybe she wants to point out something to "Snafyr". She is working on the figure.

This is «The Garbage Man», number 187. He totally fills the room. Looking at the details and the expression, certainly impresses! In addition to working as a sculptor, Dambo who has been working with street art before he startet creating trolls. He is an advocate of recycling, who certainly challenges the boundaries between activism and art. His giant trolls have managed to draw people out in nature. They have probably also managed to start conversations about waste and what is going to become of our planet.

«Snafyr», number 182, has a wonderful smiling face and the only one who is still working on The Garbage Man. He might be happy with what he is doing?

Not everybody is busy! "Dyna Dee", number 183, is taking a nap. Look at the face with closed eyes. Looks so peaceful!

Somebody is still carrying more trash into the room. "Dulfi Østen", number 184, is one of them. He is carrying a load that he almost tips over backwards.

«Burns Lobba», number 186, is standing on top of a pile of trash and with his arms full.

Dambo is starting to approach troll number 200. Not only in Denmark, but all over the world. What started this whole project and its popularity possibly happened in 2016. Then he created a series of giant trolls that he called The Six Forgotten Battles that were placed in the area around Copenhagen. Subsequently, there have been more trolls, both in Denmark and around the world. His "Troll Hunt" has also become a great success.

I had read that there should be 8 trolls, but I only counted 7 inside. One is hiding in a container outside the museum. This is "Munter", number 186 who seems as he is saying happy hallo to all of us.

What Dambo does with this exhibition is arrising awareness on everything we throw away—things that are actually worth their weight in gold. The exhibition clearly demonstrates how one can create art from waste.

Link to my previous post with the first two outdoor trolls:
@digi-me/hunting-trolls-in-the-deep