PREVIEW: NIKOLAJ EXHIBITION
Pia Gredal and Svend E. Kristensen: ”Traces of a Dragon”
An Artexhibition for children: November 19 – 2005 to january 15 – 2006

This year is dedicated to ”Traces of the Dragon”, when Nikolaj opens their exhibition for children. It is the Dragon as a gigantic body and mythological beeing, which is at stake in the sculpturel installation made by Pia Gredal and Svend E. Kristensen. Mouth, eyes, dragoneggs, wings, tail and blood are seperat areas you can explore with your body and mind, but you can never take it all in at once.

The installation is made of fragments and invites you to go exploring in the universe of the Dragon. You can climb on the Dragons back, get in and out of the Dragons egg and – if you dare – go into the Dragons mouth. On your way you will feel the rush of the wings, the strength of the Dragons look and the beating of its heart.

Pia Gredal is an educated painter and graphic artist from the Art-academy of Fyn, and she has for many years been working as a storyteller and creator with Gadesjakket and for the city of Odense. Svend E. Kristensen is performance artist and has for 10 years been associated with the Von-Heiduck theatre. In the recent years he has created his own perceptionel art-theatre. Furthermore has Los Mutantes, a group of sculptors; the sound artist Peter Kyed and designer Esben Banke contributed to the exhibition under keen direction.

Arrangement:It is the seventh year in a row that Nikolaj arranges an exhibition which is especially directed towards children. In a both sensual, intellectual and creative environment the 3 to 11 year olds will be able to confront themselves with art and culture of our age, guided by the teachers of Nikolaj. All of this involves co-operation between different subjects such as language and visuel arts by challenging the childrens imagination, and by encouraging a critical reflection and develop their sense of understanding.

The exhibition has previously been shown at the Modern Artmuseum Kunsthallen Brandts Klædefabrik in Odense www.brandts.dk 12/2 – 29/5 `05.
In that period the exhibition proved a record of 28.000 visitors!

Translation Thomas Brask Larsen