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Luca Bjørnsten (b. 1986, Copenhagen, DK) holds a fine arts degree from Gerrit Rietveld Academie, NL. He has had a number of celebrated solo- and group exhibitions around the world, but he continues to live and work in Copenhagen.
His recent exhibitions include: BRAINIAC at Albert Contemporary (Odense, Dk), Supermarché at JPS Gallery (Paris, FR, 2024), Swab Art Fair at JPS Gallery (Barcelona, ES, 2023), and Landscapes, Still Lifes & Other Things at Bricks Gallery (Copenhagen, DK, 2023).
Hi Luca! It’s a pleasure to sit down with you! First question that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in Copenhagen?
It depends on what I’m working on at the time. Typically, I spend my mornings planning and researching to figure out my next steps. A big part of my practice is researching. I spend days scouring the internet for anything that piques my curiosity. Over the years, I’ve built a massive archive of pictures I’ve taken or found online, in magazines, on postcards—basically, wherever I wander. Usually, I have a vague idea of what I’m after, but I need a reference to anchor my fuzzy concept. When an image starts forming in my mind, I often debate whether it’s interesting or just plain tacky. If I’m creating sculptures or paintings, or doing anything messy, I go to my studio around 10 am and stay there until night. Occasionally, I also make drawings at home. If I’m not working like a dog, I’ll hang out with friends and family.
I’m curious. Growing up, what kind of kid were you, what did you enjoy doing and how did you spend your time?
I guess I was quite energetic, probably very annoying at times. Like my old man used to say, ‘You’re a fucking pain in the ass!’ I was raised Danish/Irish, even though I’m also Italian. Haha, it’s a long, complicated story, so I won’t get too much into that. But it did result in a very big family with a lot of energy and culture around—art, music, good food—as well as a lot of madness. There was always support and encouragement for what I wanted to do in life. I was also a bit of a nerd. I would get very obsessed with certain things, and forget about everything else. I was fascinated with comics and cartoons. That’s where it all began, and it remains a significant part of what I do today. The vibrant colors, simplicity, and humor—a witty twist on reality—are elements that continue to inspire my work. I’ve always been pretty obsessive about my interests, and I was determined to become good at drawing. It really bothered me if someone at school was better than me, so I’m sure there was a competitive side to it as well. Not sure how healthy it was, but there you go. Alongside that, I was into things like video games and skateboarding—all the regular cool kid stuff.
So when did you start to paint, and when did you start taking being an artist seriously?
I started painting in my early teens, and the idea of being an artist was always there, though not necessarily in the way I work as an artist now. I’ve always been drawn to creating images, learning new crafts, and telling stories. I’ve done quite a few things throughout my life, but drawing and painting have been the things I kept coming back to.
After earning my BFA, I worked as a freelance film editor for a few years, and in many ways, I really loved that job. However, I always felt a bit guilty about not pursuing my art, so I slowly started drawing again. This was about 7-8 years ago. Over the following years, I juggled working as an editor while showcasing my drawings and paintings. Around 2019, I decided to go all in and stopped freelancing as an editor. It was a difficult decision at the time, but I’m sure it was the right one.
Alright, let’s talk about your work now… Your style has been described as scenes from a 16-bit computer game, making your cartoonish style super recognizable. How long has it taken you to perfect it to how it looks now, and what is it about those aesthetics that appeal to you?
Some of this goes back to my overlap as an editor and what I do now. When I started painting again, I was completely overwhelmed by all the different possibilities. One day, I bought 6-7 oil pastels at the local art supply store, and I realized that setting limitations and creating a sort of dogma for myself worked as a great tool or template. For example, if the sky is blue, then the ocean must be pink because I don’t have another blue. This connects to the 16-bit logic and the cartoonish aesthetics, but this approach also serves a blueprint for my oil paintings, sculptures, and how I install things for a show. It’s not completely carved in stone, and there’s a lot of space in the process for intuition to run free, but before creating a work, I select a series of colors and test them against each other.
Cleaning supplies, VHS tapes, animals, shopping aisles, gas stations etc… What do you look for when choosing what should grace your canvas?
I look for elements that document the contemporary landscape and my experiences on this planet. Growing up as a kid in the ’90s, I’m drawn to nostalgia and the things that might be overlooked or forgotten in our everyday lives. Cleaning supplies, VHS tapes, animals, shopping aisles, and gas stations—these are all fragments of my personal history and the broader cultural memory. It’s about capturing the essence of these mundane yet significant objects and scenes, reflecting the beauty and significance they hold in our collective and individual pasts. But what sparks my curiosity or immediate fascination is hard to define. It might be a color combination, a logo, or a shape. Maybe if I understood exactly why, it wouldn’t be as intriguing.
Same thing with the random places like gas stations and supermarkets, in your work, what’s the story behind them?
There’s an instinctive, intuitive attraction I feel towards these places. However, there’s something captivating about their shapes, colors, and the challenge of transforming the mundane into something beautiful and extraordinary. These everyday locations are filled with geometric patterns, vibrant hues, and intriguing textures that often go unnoticed.
It’s about making reality feel a bit dreamlike and showing that there’s beauty in the ordinary. The challenge lies in converting what is normally not considered beautiful into something that captures the viewer’s attention and imagination. By doing this, we might reignite a fascination or rediscover something we’ve overlooked or forgotten. When something becomes too familiar, we often stop acknowledging it. However, when viewed from a different perspective, the familiar can feel new and unfamiliar, transforming reality into something unreal.
How do you balance the playful and confrontational elements in your art, like Consumerism and globalization? And do you find it challenging to convey serious messages through a vibrant and ironic style?
I believe it all comes down to isolating aspects of human behavior and documenting the world around me. Consumerism and globalization are significant in this context and often carry negative connotations. However, my goal is to confront viewers with the essence of consumerism in a way that challenges those assumptions. Irony and humor play a crucial role in my work, reflecting a fundamental part of who I am. Ultimately, I’m not interested in direct criticism; instead, I aim to tell a different story—a celebration of the oddness and silliness of human behavior. It’s a narrative I feel more equipped to share, and at its core, it’s a love declaration.
With that in mind, how do you think capitalism has changed our perception of the societal landscape, and how do you reflect this change in your work?
The landscape is changing rapidly, so all I can document is what is here now and what was here a moment ago. Looking at paintings throughout history, many were landscape paintings that depicted a completely different world 200 years ago compared to today. Isolating time and space has always been important, but for me, I try to create a symbiosis between the subject matter and the way it is portrayed.
In other words, if I’m painting a supermarket aisle, it’s important to capture it in a way that conveys a feeling linked to that scene. I use thickly layered paint in vibrant colors that almost look like bubblegum, cake or glue, aiming to capture the essence and aesthetics of the world as seen through my naive and silly eyes.
What role do you think art plays in critiquing and reflecting on modern society?
That’s a big question because the body of art is so enormous and serves different purposes for different people. In many ways, art plays a crucial role in critiquing and reflecting on modern society by serving as a mirror that reveals the nuances of our everyday lives. It allows us to explore and question the world around us, offering new perspectives on familiar subjects. Art enables us to view the world in ways that might not be possible through other means, like a painting or Donald Duck cartoon.
But on the other hand, it doesn’t always have to serve a critical or reflective purpose, at least not directly. Art can also just be beautiful, like one of those rare pop songs you instantly connect with or a joke you didn’t see coming. It’s not always about what you say, but how you say it. It’s like looking at a Giacomo Balla painting. I don’t need to know about Futurism or the when and why for it to have an impact on me. The painterly logic and beauty are enough. I’ve met some very talented people in my life who create amazing things that feel like they came out of nowhere. They might be extremely aware on an unconscious level, but if you ask them, they have no idea; they just do. I think it’s important to appreciate things for what they are, even if you don’t have any answers.
Would you consider yourself a nostalgic person?
Yes, very much so. Lately, I’ve found myself becoming even more nostalgic. It’s something I think about quite often. Nostalgia carries both sadness and happiness for me. It’s sad because I look back at moments that are gone, times I didn’t fully appreciate, and a younger, more carefree version of myself—which reminds me that I’m getting older. I’ve always had issues with aging; I remember feeling extremely sad when I turned 18 while everyone around me was excited.
But nostalgia brings happiness too. It’s a place to revisit where everything seems more peaceful and fun, a time when life felt simpler. And I think that’s why it plays such a big part in my work. I feel an urge to celebrate and revisit those memories and eternalise them. In the end, it goes back to whatever I create, carrying some declaration of love.
Alright Luca, now to something completely different. In a parallel universe who would you be? and what would you be doing?
If I had two lives, I think I would pursue acting, most likely in comedy.
Can you tell me a story about a time when a connection with someone had a big impact on you?
It’s not really a story, but I’d say my mom, for her love, compassion, and support in what I do.
What qualities do you find most important in the people you choose to spend time with?
Probably humor (hehe).
Anybody you look up to?
There are so many, but the Italian painter Giorgio Morandi stands out. He is truly a master.
What motivates you?
I tend to feel bored or like I’m repeating myself, and when that happens, I know it’s time to push myself to do better. Realizing I’m not at my best is a good sign—it motivates me to chase a new vision or feeling. It’s pretty primal; I spend a lot of time observing what others do, and seeing someone change their routine inspires me to do the same. Inspiration can even come from flipping through a hardware catalog or candy wrappers. It’s a mix of many things, but the main rule is: don’t get bored or too comfortable. The thrill of diving into uncharted territory is a great feeling. Plus, there’s nothing like the mix of genius and potential disaster to keep things interesting!
How would you describe a perfect day?
Achieving something you’ve worked hard on and getting excited about the end result is a great feeling. I wouldn’t mind that on a perfect day, but honestly, I’m not sure. A perfect day could also be great moments with good people, joking around. I’ll take that too.
Alright Luca, I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favorite movie(s) and why?
If I have to pick one, I’m going to say Jurassic Park. To this day, I clearly remember watching it with my dad in the theater. I was 6, just about to turn 7, and it was a big deal because we discussed whether or not I was old enough to watch it. In the end, he gave in, and it blew my mind. It has everything: dinosaurs or genetically modified mutants—whatever you want to call them—going bonkers, the best 3D animation you wouldn’t see for many years to come, alongside animatronics, and cool merchandise both inside and outside the movie, with Sam Neill showing off his velociraptor claw (no pun intended).
The second is. What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?
Don Quichotte – No Estan Aqui – Magazine 60