Anna Kristine Hvid Petersen’s (b. 1992, Denmark) practice is primarily within the field of painting. Sublime, rich and meticulous in detail, Hvid Petersen’s paintings transcend our reality as if to create a window into an alternative world.
At first glance, the paintings’ composition and technique seem to nod towards the traditions of still life, yet this implied simplicity dissolves at closer examination. Shadows are inaccurate. Backgrounds are both captivating and deceptive, pushing the context in new directions. The objects themselves are unexpected, as Hvid Petersen combines the familiar with the unknown to intentionally create dynamic narratives—the keys to which feel almost within our grasp. The predominant use of smaller formats echoes this sentiment and this intensity, compelling us to come closer, to lean farther in, almost as if we are hoping that proximity gives way to more understanding.
The paintings veer more into scenography and landscape, deliberately playing out a world in which the objects almost become embodied with human characteristics, coyly turning away from us, almost as if to hint that they are aware of our presence and aware of the symbolism and significance they hold.
The result is both playful and captivating, as Hvid Petersen’s works cleverly allude to a world which is ours but is not ours, to a reality that could be playing out not here but somewhere nearby, and to an evolving and growing storyline that builds layer on layer.
Anna Kristine Hvid Petersen (b. 1992, Denmark) graduated with an MFA from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2022. The gallery presented our first solo show with Hvid Petersen in March of 2023.
