10 Questions with Ole Tersløse

Ole Tersløse, originally from Hjørring, Denmark, pursued his early passion for art by studying painting at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.

After gaining recognition as a traditional painter, he transitioned to computer-generated imagery, earning international acclaim and grants from prestigious foundations such as The Danish Arts Foundation.

Tersløse has showcased his work globally, including solo exhibitions at renowned venues like the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, BSA Artsists in Berlin, Vendsyssel Museum of Art in Denmark, Galerie Leger in Malmö and Maria Lund Gallery in Paris. Residing in his hometown of Hjørring, Tersløse credits the small community for providing him the freedom and peace to explore and follow his artistic instincts.

www.terslose.dk

ARTIST STATEMENT

Ole Tersløse's work is perplexing. Are his images photographs or meticulously executed paintings? Are his figurative sculptures a form of neoclassicism or oversized, geometrically simplified toy figures?

Deliberately positioning himself within a realm of ambiguity, the artist makes his work challenging to categorize. Crafting his imagery from scratch using 3D computer programs, he manipulates illusions to his liking, resulting in images that are simultaneously realistic and alienating.

Many of his pieces evoke the Renaissance and Baroque eras and could be interpreted as modern allegories of universal aspects of human existence. However, unlike traditional allegories, his works do not offer simple moral lessons. Instead, they suggest the complexities and contradictions inherent in issues we believe we understand.

His latest series, "Religious Hybrids," juxtaposes elements from disparate belief systems in an enigmatic chess game with uncertain rules. Can totally different religions and ideologies live side by side, will they interact or even fight each other? A definitive answer to these questions is impossible to tease out of Tersløse's consistently inscrutable works.

Beneath the surreal imagery lies profound questioning. Can we comprehend one another across vast differences? Tersløse's art, born in the digital realm, offers imaginative glimpses into potential realities. Each scene hints at a narrative, but the endpoint remains elusive, inviting diverse interpretations.

INTERVIEW

Please introduce yourself to our readers. Who is Ole Tersløse in three words?

In three words, I would describe myself as a deconstructivist, visual artist, and shaman.
Allow me to elaborate: Deconstructionism is a mindset that keeps the subjects we discuss fluid and open. It eschews the solidification of knowledge into inflexible postulated truths, thereby maintaining the dynamism and development of one's thinking.
I have always identified myself as a visual artist; it feels like the most natural way for me to express myself. Though I occasionally delve into music and writing, I always return to visual art. Perhaps it's my destiny to be an artist, or maybe it's just a bad habit.
In the past four years, I have become deeply involved with shamanism, forming a close bond with a clairvoyant shaman who has become a dear friend. Finding meaning in natural signs and attuning to the magical ambiance of a forest offers a wonderful, archaic source of energy and inspiration in contrast to the rather intellectual approach I was taught at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.

And how would you define yourself as an artist today?

I may have already expressed too much. As hinted above, I might be experiencing a delayed rebellion against what I learned at the art academy in my youth.
Previously, I felt a strong need to define myself within an art-historical context. However, my sources of inspiration are now much more enigmatic, and my works increasingly stem from a synergy of my thoughts and purely instinctive feelings.
Nevertheless, there's one essential element I always strive to maintain: I only find it meaningful to create my works if I believe I can offer an original perspective on an issue, one that differs from prevailing consensus truths.
While many artists might claim to do the same, I find it disappointing that numerous colleagues present themselves as provocateurs, purporting to operate at the fringes of social and cognitive acceptability, when in reality, they often merely echo the zeitgeist and adhere to an unimaginative form of political correctness.

Your transition from traditional painting to computer-generated imagery is fascinating. How did this shift influence your artistic perspective, and what drew you to explore the possibilities offered by digital mediums?

During my studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen, there was a prevalent mantra in the art world proclaiming that "painting was dead." In response, I immersed myself in painting, striving to revitalize the medium. Surprisingly, my efforts garnered success, earning favorable reviews when I exhibited my works. However, tragically, painting eventually DID die for me. I found myself confined within its boundaries, suffocating in a space devoid of creativity.
Around the turn of the millennium, 3D computer imagery was still in its infancy. Delving into this new medium was both exhilarating and unconventional, a departure from my training as a classical painter.
Yet, I quickly discovered that working with 3D programs allowed for a level of creativity far beyond conventional expectations. While these programs were primarily designed for the film industry, with many artists striving for hyper-realism, I found that I could manipulate the realism to create digital artifacts that, upon superficial inspection, appeared lifelike but, upon closer examination, revealed a perfection too pristine to be real. This deliberate manipulation evokes a sense of eerie disconnection in my works.
Interestingly, the Baroque painter Nicolas Poussin became a significant source of inspiration for me. In his later years, he developed a style where everything rendered was so sharply defined that it transcended realism, resembling a surrealistic vision beyond ordinary perception. This concept resonated deeply with me, driving my exploration of digital mediums to achieve a similar effect.

Many of your pieces evoke the Renaissance and Baroque eras, as you mention in your statement. What aspects of these historical periods inspire your work, and how do you reinterpret them in a contemporary context?

As a modern observer, what fascinates me most about Renaissance and Baroque paintings is the artists' ability to create an atmosphere of grandeur, drama, and conceptual complexity within the confines of traditional mediums, such as oil on canvas. While many contemporary artists resort to attention-grabbing shock effects, deeper exploration often reveals a lack of depth and genuine originality in their works.
Unbeknownst to me, I am likely more indebted to Renaissance and Baroque paintings than I consciously realize. Essentially, I employ a similar approach to the old masters: meticulously composing still images where elements are arranged to evoke narratives or at least provoke the viewer's narratological imagination.
However, my narratives lack clear endings or simple messages; they are rather a kind of visual riddles, and when you examine my works, you may find it hard to understand the actions and motivations of my characters.

You define your works as modern allegories. Can you elaborate on the themes or narratives you explore through your pieces and how they reflect the complexities of the human experience?

Classical allegory typically visualizes general philosophical or moral statements about human existence, with a clear intention behind them. By grasping the "truth" about life revealed in such statements, viewers are meant to become better individuals when engaging with allegorical works of art.
When I describe my works as modern allegories, it's because many of them indeed visualize the general conditions of our existence. However, they shouldn't convey simple messages or naive statements. Instead, I aim for my works to delve deep into contradictory and complex subject matter without drawing any conclusions. This is why my works possess an enigmatic quality.
Engaging with my art shouldn't make you a better person, but perhaps a more contemplative and humble one, realizing the challenges modern human beings face in navigating the jungle of conflicting advice and information we encounter daily.
A clear example is my ongoing series of "Religious Hybrids," partly inspired by incidents like the burning of the Quran and the clash between Western freedom rights and cognitive and behavioral patterns from the Global South. In this series, elements from vastly different ideologies and belief systems are amalgamated to form ambiguous modern icons that resist simple, logical explanations. Sometimes, uncertain pathways emerge between the depicted religions, while in other cases, the juxtapositions remain absurd, and meaning collapses.

What role does symbolism play in your artwork, and how do you choose the symbols and motifs in your compositions?

In a strictly art-historic sense, symbolism refers to a brief period around 1900 when artists viewed the scenes and objects they depicted as symbols of their state of mind or feelings. It represented, to some extent, a reaction against realism. However, this period had a short lifespan as modern art soon established a kind of superego that disdained storytelling and referential elements in visual arts. Symbolism was perceived as contaminated with narratological waste material that modern art sought to discard.
Nevertheless, I am, to some degree, inspired by this period. As the modern era collapsed into postmodernism, so did the idea of a pristine visual expression solely dedicated to formal values. It became permissible once again to explore the storytelling elements in visual arts. However, it is crucial to me that the symbols I employ do not convey a singular message. Instead, drawing from deconstructivism, I aim to suggest multiple and often conflicting interpretations simultaneously. My works should not possess a simple meaning or clear intention; rather, they should gesture toward myriad directions simultaneously.

How does the use of computer-generated imagery influence the storytelling aspect of your art, particularly in conveying the nuances and intricacies of human experience?

Reflecting on the two decades I have spent working with computer visualizations, I can discern a clear trend. Over time, my works have grown increasingly minimalistic, characterized by a sharp, clear, and almost mathematically simplified style or idiom. Consequently, there exists an almost absurd contrast between my formal visual language and the intricacies of human existence that my works endeavor to capture.
At first glance, everything appears too logical, often too beautiful and harmonious to be real. However, upon deeper examination, one quickly realizes the inadequacy of finding a satisfying explanation. Had I chosen to paint my scenes instead, I would not have been able to achieve the same stark contrast between the narrative I convey and the manner in which I convey it.
One might perceive me as a cruel, perhaps even perverse, scientist cynically dissecting the complex and often sorrowful destinies of human beings in a digital laboratory, employing simplified computer simulations of human existence. It's not a particularly sympathetic approach to the human race, but as an art project, it is undeniably fascinating for me to observe.

Speaking of new technologies, what do you think of AI-generated art? Do you feel threatened as an artist by these new technologies? 

From what I understand, artificial intelligence typically provides answers based on the most probable outcomes given the question posed. For instance, if you were to ask ChatGPT where a domestic cat usually falls asleep, it might respond with "on beds, sofas, or armchairs" because it has been trained on a vast amount of data indicating such locations. It's unlikely to suggest "on the moon" because that would be an improbable outcome based on the information it has been exposed to.
What does this mean for art? While AI has made it easier to replicate the styles of artists like Rembrandt or Van Gogh, simply copying other artists does not make one an artist. True artistic expression requires inventing one's own style and concepts, which AI cannot assist with. It cannot render a picture in a style that hasn't been conceived yet.
That being said, many artists use AI as a tool alongside traditional ones like brushes, Photoshop, and 3D programs. However, until AI possesses a truly creative intelligence capable of thinking outside the box and generating surprising and innovative solutions, it cannot be considered a competitor to artists themselves.

Your work has been showcased globally. How do you perceive the reception and interpretation of your art in different cultural contexts?

When exhibiting my work abroad, I often find myself pleasantly surprised. Coming from a small country like Denmark, with its somewhat unimaginative art scene that tends to showcase the same artists repeatedly, encountering alternative artistic perspectives can be refreshing.
I once had a conversation with a curator from Berlin who made an insightful observation. He pointed out that German people weren't inherently less prejudiced than Danes, but the diverse, cosmopolitan environment of a global metropolis like Berlin or Paris continually exposes individuals to a variety of artistic styles, concepts, and approaches. This exposure to a plethora of artistic expressions and strategies fosters an open-mindedness, particularly towards marginalized artists who challenge mainstream tendencies and conventions.
Regarding cultural diversity in the interpretation of art, I had a surprising experience involving my series featuring semi-nude children. In Western societies, there is often reluctance towards such depictions, with concerns about potential associations with child pornography. However, I view the naked child as a symbol of innocence.
When I exhibited my series "Flower Children," I was intrigued to discover that two Arabic online newspapers also covered the works and presented the images. It seemed they approached the child's body with a perspective closer to my own, viewing the series as a representation of our "lost paradise," where innocence still prevailed.

Finally, what are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

Yes, I'm currently engaged in discussions with a sculpture manufacturing firm overseas, exploring the possibility of producing my sculptures on a large scale solely based on 3D models created on my computer. While the outcome remains uncertain, the prospect of creating monumental sculptures around the world is certainly intriguing, especially with the skills and collaborative support at hand.
Every year, I embark on a sort of pilgrimage to a sacred site in Germany known as Externsteine. This year's journey promises to be different, as my clairvoyant friend will be joining me. According to him, we may make contact with extraterrestrial life forms, as he believes Externsteine serves as a portal to other realms of the universe. While this may sound like a whimsical notion, I've actually witnessed unidentified blue lights at Externsteine during a previous visit, and remarkably, my friend predicted this occurrence.
Inspired by these experiences, I'm embarking on a crossover project blending visual arts with esoteric wisdom. I contemplate recreating some of my friend's visions in 3D, sparking questions about the nature of such representations and their potential as religious and, to some degree, empirical truths. Despite the uncertainties surrounding this endeavor, I'm intrigued by the exploration.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.