![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-01_2022-12-21-105022_xbci_2022-12-21-105454_buca.jpg?w=2048&h=1474&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620094&s=a118e4b915d25f877d1c452c41a3c04a 2048w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-01_2022-12-21-105022_xbci_2022-12-21-105454_buca.jpg?w=1920&h=1381&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620094&s=1dd6bffca0df0b7ac3ee53e8d8777ad9 1920w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-01_2022-12-21-105022_xbci_2022-12-21-105454_buca.jpg?w=1536&h=1105&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620094&s=51bdc05a70e63d7e3bda52b137d7c59b 1536w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-01_2022-12-21-105022_xbci_2022-12-21-105454_buca.jpg?w=1280&h=921&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620094&s=63b5de20bbffa36e5e2585e4a92e4498 1280w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-01_2022-12-21-105022_xbci_2022-12-21-105454_buca.jpg?w=1024&h=737&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620094&s=0380be48041d7f309ba3dafc6a7a4323 1024w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-01_2022-12-21-105022_xbci_2022-12-21-105454_buca.jpg?w=768&h=552&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620094&s=771df2d0b3d1a1d3f6cdb4f14149f9a1 768w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-01_2022-12-21-105022_xbci_2022-12-21-105454_buca.jpg?w=512&h=368&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620094&s=92b42655608a4fbf6b45f4b99f21feb2 512w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-01_2022-12-21-105022_xbci_2022-12-21-105454_buca.jpg?w=256&h=184&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620094&s=0186d3817b4a75c6b3a6ffdadcb21e8d 256w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-01_2022-12-21-105022_xbci_2022-12-21-105454_buca.jpg?w=128&h=92&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620094&s=14798b8dfa8cf40321f7014c360fea17 128w)
Lulu Refn, 'SOLO', installation view, 2021
Courtesy of the artist and C.C.C.
Could I start by asking you how you describe your practice? What is the balance like between your interest in exploring individual sculptural forms vs installation-based environments?
I’m occupied with objects’ embedded codes, and their effect on social dynamics - how people define themselves, and decode each other through objects which represent and reflect personality. In other words, I’m occupied with creation processes, and the continuous reconstruction and cultivation of identity.
I’m interested in the human tendency to hunt for recognition and a sense of belonging, and how these needs become an engine driving consumer culture, where materiality is often a determining factor for social status and hierarchies.
I construct environments with an organic relation between the spatial and the individual sculptural form. All sculptural elements are equally important to maintain the right tension in the exhibition space. I often think of my sculptures as pieces in a game, or as characters in a play.
In my solo shows, the primary work is the installation and the spatial experience. But I only see a sculpture as a finished piece when it reaches an independent status, so it can step out of my narrative.
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-06.jpg?w=2048&h=1366&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620260&s=44611f500e016e954e92b8cf43f6a09e 2048w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-06.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620260&s=263e69593f9926d3bdeabf6506c6958a 1920w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-06.jpg?w=1536&h=1024&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620260&s=32b4293380e1c5cf5b8cb1a1850e00ce 1536w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-06.jpg?w=1280&h=853&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620260&s=1354cf3b723f410dbac83d916f5fc657 1280w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-06.jpg?w=1024&h=683&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620260&s=000df0962faeadf3ca6eb256bf0aff1e 1024w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-06.jpg?w=768&h=512&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620260&s=ee45ce9c8a488cefce83df9eaf221f5e 768w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-06.jpg?w=512&h=341&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620260&s=608a0e38d0b2a070283189f99eb353db 512w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-06.jpg?w=256&h=170&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620260&s=6555206f5d1b833253536828a3f5670e 256w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-06.jpg?w=128&h=85&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671620260&s=e68d2d118645bca1a3f9d8c517c79a0e 128w)
Lulu Refn, 'A2070 Keeper (green)', 2021
Courtesy of the artist and C.C.C.
Could I ask you to talk a little bit about your interest in packaging materials and the aesthetics of consumer culture?
In my latest works I’m dealing with visual languages that are motivated by an agenda of generating profit - ones that seduce and attract the viewer by being entertaining and charming... I’m working with the psychology behind the “must-have” factor - how objects generate value in terms of social capital and how they can induce a feeling of self-esteem and confidence.
Surfaces, texture and materials play a central part in my practice. My works in merino wool are inspired by shock absorbing packaging. The shapes are directly copied from foam used to keep products in place in cardboard boxes during transport. By covering them in merino wool, I intend to increase the feeling of luxury and exclusivity, thereby insinuating that the product being stored must be highly precious.
I became interested in wool as a material, because I studied fly fishing, and I became generally fascinated by the precision in the colourful design of fishing lures. The way I use colour in my work is inspired by hunting and how to lure prey. I use colour to highlight or distribute attention.
Could I ask you to talk a little bit about your series of white construction sculptures?
In my exhibition ‘SOLO’, I showed the first series of works inspired by the basic principle of the construction-toy Meccano, which is a system of modules. I created my own scaled up versions of modules, to compose a series of simple silhouettes suggesting an environment associated with a private home or garden.
Painted white with a high glossy finish, the sculptures refer to adjustability and to a commercial and versatile Scandinavian tradition of interior design – an affordable kind of furniture made to match any kind of home or anyone’s needs. You could say that I’m considering the sphere around private property as a machine, and social structures as mechanics that need to be constantly adjusted, maintained and updated.
Another important aspect of this exhibition was the mood created by the clash between an innocent and child-friendly appearance on one hand, and a mechanical reality on the other, as evoked via the oversized nuts and bolts.
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-17.jpg?w=1536&h=2302&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671708443&s=c4c2cb98a882be7e95f90ca76c19d715 1536w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-17.jpg?w=1280&h=1918&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671708443&s=eb6a1405e925405eb64b849dc82fc1bf 1280w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-17.jpg?w=1024&h=1535&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671708443&s=95100df01455d3a83939203f467258dd 1024w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-17.jpg?w=768&h=1151&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671708443&s=f7fef8e0ed38be63f78a8c86518e3d75 768w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-17.jpg?w=512&h=767&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671708443&s=8fbcae02a2a236ba596826cf302f2beb 512w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-17.jpg?w=256&h=383&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671708443&s=095b622ad53a60aef49c6855601b0c06 256w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-17.jpg?w=128&h=191&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671708443&s=c69285dd7e3c77ca36630d789f86029c 128w)
Lulu Refn, 'A0519,' detail, 2021
Courtesy of the artist and C.C.C.
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-14.jpg?w=2048&h=1366&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671704298&s=978e7b153b7d1355022abbffe553b26f 2048w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-14.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671704298&s=8ddf835efa06a00be1e89e54a9b0ed20 1920w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-14.jpg?w=1536&h=1024&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671704298&s=9973940a702bf203bd3a325b98aeb194 1536w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-14.jpg?w=1280&h=853&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671704298&s=030d7c22d8d66358559d5b552984e7bc 1280w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-14.jpg?w=1024&h=683&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671704298&s=18f32b8b2eb08eec654d33beba269001 1024w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-14.jpg?w=768&h=512&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671704298&s=4dc144f7faa9a185f2a63ce0d5c5b33d 768w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-14.jpg?w=512&h=341&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671704298&s=8a39f06e330c3e883149ed677f7b7b46 512w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-14.jpg?w=256&h=170&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671704298&s=94700c7636bcce4fab7d6d394f9a7545 256w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/Sm_CCC_Lulu_Refn_Solo-14.jpg?w=128&h=85&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671704298&s=9932b6ab284126c13d109b923c29fa2f 128w)
Lulu Refn, 'A0519,' 2021
Courtesy of the artist and C.C.C.
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5642-kopier_2022-12-26-183200_baem.jpg?w=1536&h=2033&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1672079520&s=67307ee205c9067ebfa44a7d50c49803 1536w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5642-kopier_2022-12-26-183200_baem.jpg?w=1280&h=1694&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1672079520&s=8bd3a27be278da624f1cedc40ea09795 1280w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5642-kopier_2022-12-26-183200_baem.jpg?w=1024&h=1355&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1672079520&s=898486fb8931c7e1d84ea46163400829 1024w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5642-kopier_2022-12-26-183200_baem.jpg?w=768&h=1016&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1672079520&s=58b5a1e97f7fb14c90ae48bacb6cf966 768w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5642-kopier_2022-12-26-183200_baem.jpg?w=512&h=677&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1672079520&s=b41f885bfe01583644a64512f553b00f 512w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5642-kopier_2022-12-26-183200_baem.jpg?w=256&h=338&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1672079520&s=68fc496140469289369043085bd5399a 256w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5642-kopier_2022-12-26-183200_baem.jpg?w=128&h=169&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1672079520&s=78b90de60cb09eaaadaabec63e4a5df1 128w)
Lulu Refn, 'A0519,' 2022
Courtesy of the artist.
To what extent does your work draw on memories from childhood?
The sculptures inspired by Meccano have especially evoked childhood memories among an elderly male audience , which makes good sense, since this toy was primarily created for boys.
An advanced construction toy is designed to develop a child’s ability to invent, encouraging them towards becoming small engineers. Parents have the opportunity to encourage their children’s focus of interest from an early age using toys, and children are very fast to sense what makes their parents particularly proud, what their parents’ own interests are, and how parents often wish to see themselves and their own interests mirrored in their child.
I’m interested in the exchange between expectations, self-realisation, ambition and recognition, and how these factors effect people from childhood and throughout life.
To me it’s a breaking point when children become old enough to relate consciously to expectations, and how they negotiate between their own expectations, and those from their parents, from the environment in which they grow up, and from society in general.
Could you give some examples of artists whose work has been important for you?
Yes, for sure.
Jean Luc Moulene, Ghislane Leung, Jumana Manna, Mike Kelly, Cady Nolan and Claes Oldenburg is a small selection of my favourite artists.
There was recently a big exhibition at Gl. Strand in Copenhagen showing Lee Lozano, and I was totally blown away by her work. She is an amazing artist.
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5610-kopier.jpg?w=2048&h=1366&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671711859&s=c39e63a0fb273b965693d323c1b32c59 2048w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5610-kopier.jpg?w=1920&h=1280&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671711859&s=df774b642bfee7cf186fa7a0fc54a7cc 1920w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5610-kopier.jpg?w=1536&h=1024&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671711859&s=96953b66cbfbad44177a4456f94fbbbf 1536w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5610-kopier.jpg?w=1280&h=853&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671711859&s=95592ba1f61e7210639c136c707b5db4 1280w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5610-kopier.jpg?w=1024&h=683&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671711859&s=fb70c17ab02f17e0e6a6ff29f56c3908 1024w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5610-kopier.jpg?w=768&h=512&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671711859&s=2e5b8f5a2c6abb283ca4fad5cfa944e8 768w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5610-kopier.jpg?w=512&h=341&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671711859&s=0230712852fd588487c1a87dedd73540 512w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5610-kopier.jpg?w=256&h=170&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671711859&s=6b0b5588b464e8b164576a0d35ac7010 256w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/140A5610-kopier.jpg?w=128&h=85&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1671711859&s=cbab6dbebcf309e628ce9a5a82293b4e 128w)
'Decembristerne 2022', installation view, 2022
Courtesy of the artist.
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/IMG_1776-2_2022-12-29-122823_yvfa.jpeg?w=256&h=312&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1672316904&s=d550983eee4c48c1a324352de02321dd 256w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/IMG_1776-2_2022-12-29-122823_yvfa.jpeg?w=128&h=156&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&dm=1672316904&s=b040b3acb6340e9e54df8267c7331628 128w)
Lulu Refn primarily works with sculpture and installation. Her fascination with creating an atmosphere or mood with sculptural elements is based on producing imitations of previous affiliations and constructing a new context. By redefining and examining their meaning, she explores the ambiguity of references. Basing her process on systems, she creates a structure of serial components that are then introduced to new variations. Refn works from a fluid understanding of both the spatial and physical, an idea that everything is only held in place by the reality one has determined.
Lulu Refn (b. 1989, Copenhagen: DK) holds an MFA from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (2018). Refn’s work is currently on view at Den Frie Udstillingsbygning (25th Nov. - 30th Dec) (DK) and her work has been shown at exhibitions at Kunsthal Charlottenborg (DK), C.C.C. (DK), kunstscenen.xyz (DK). Her work is represented in both private and public collections such as The City of Copenhagens Art Collection.
![](https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/ID5.jpeg?w=1536&h=2047&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1641850986&s=e83ba8334f14cc918d50a2c67e169244 1536w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/ID5.jpeg?w=1280&h=1705&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1641850986&s=fcc6b1f112fd2562c1d9679ca650c28a 1280w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/ID5.jpeg?w=1024&h=1364&q=82&fm=jpg&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1641850986&s=7eca9f8e19ef5ae50ba5c0724e0f3486 1024w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/ID5.jpeg?w=768&h=1023&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1641850986&s=a563cf4a73ea764b416e5781d679760d 768w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/ID5.jpeg?w=512&h=682&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1641850986&s=a183d800e51b861231c1560c2a961907 512w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/ID5.jpeg?w=256&h=341&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1641850986&s=2e7c773e93aba0efc1a487a8bc6b2a37 256w, https://optimise2.assets-servd.host/fluffy-tenrec/production/ID5.jpeg?w=128&h=170&q=60&fm=jpg&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&dm=1641850986&s=d24c155ada4b3d25a0968d371532f765 128w)
Oscar Gilbert is a gallerist and writer based in Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2019 he founded the contemporary art gallery OTP Copenhagen.