STAY INSPIRED with Elmgreen & Dragset
A conversation between the Sammlung Goetz and the artist duo about daily motivation and inspiration
What is your daily motivation, Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset?
Each other.
Working as a duo has been particularly beneficial in these emotionally challenging times. It’s not all resting on one’s own shoulders, there’s always someone to talk things through with. Some major shows have had to be postponed but outdoor public sculptures have on the other hand become even more important in this period and we fortunately have several projects in progress in some interesting open-air locations.
Where do you get your inspiration from in these times?
Each other.
And the Criterion Channel! All those classic existential films made up around the big and small actions of their protagonists are even more inspirational now in a time where movement is so limited. In Eric Rohmer’s The Green Ray for instance, the whole narrative is built around a young woman not being able to decide where to go on holiday.
What are you working on right now?
We mainly focus on art in public space at the moment, something that’s available for everyone regardless of lockdowns and restrictions. We just finalized a big commission for the new Moynihan Train Hall that is an extension of Penn Station in New York and next up is a large outdoor commission for the Djurgården park in Stockholm. It consists of 49 life buoys, all interconnected to create one tall shape. As this past year has shown: we’re all dependent on each other, and we can all need a little help and support sometimes.
