Rolando Anselmi is pleased to announce Ship of Theseus, the sixth solo exhibition by Asger Dybvad Larsen with the gallery, celebrating ten years of collaboration.
The exhibition title references the well-known philosophical paradox of the Ship of Theseus, raising questions about the concept of identity through the continuous transformation of matter. If an object is progressively replaced in all its parts while remaining formally identical, can it still be considered the same as it was originally? This reflection lies at the heart of Larsen’s research, as he explores painting in its processual and metamorphic dimension as a medium.
The exhibition unfolds on two levels: on the upper floor, a selection of five works taken from each of the artist’s solo shows within the gallery over the past decade; on the lower level, a new series of works created specifically for this exhibition. The artworks evolve through a process of destruction and reconstruction, where materials are dismantled and reassembled, weaving a continuity between past and present. These new works are made from fragments of discarded old paintings, reworked by meticulously sewing them together. Each component retains traces of its previous life while acquiring a new identity.
Larsen’s paintings thus become visual archives, layered by memories and transformation, where every piece preserves its origin and is regenerated in a new configuration. The very act of reconstruction becomes a reflection on the nature of change: each stitch, each joint, is a trace of continuity, a fragment that bears witness to the tensions between what was and what is. The Theseus paradox is not only evoked but embodied in the works, which invites us to question the meaning of identity, material and emotional value of what is preserved, transformed, or left behind.
While engaging with the minimalist and conceptual strategies of postwar practices, Larsen subverts structural rigidity in favor of a fluid system where similarity and difference intertwine in a precarius balance. Ship of Theseus is not just a reflection on the identity of the artwork, but also on the relationship between memory, transformation, and materiality within the language of painting. Through a continuous dialogue between fragmentation and recomposition, Larsen challenges the notion of an artwork as a stable unit, instead he argues that each configuration already contains the promise of its own evolution. The exhibition presents itself as an exploration of time and identity, a celebration of the beauty of imperfection and its infinite combinations. Each work becomes an object that transcends its former parts and project them into the future, and invites to embrace change as a form of knowledge and rediscovery.
© Text and Photo Courtesy of Galerie Ronaldo Anselmi
