TAFFEL at Etage showcases sculptures that blossom to tell stories

When the thought of a banquet infiltrates ones mind, it is escorted by decadence, indulgence, and extravagance—perhaps even slight mischief. But more often than not social settings demand a conventionally acceptable demeanour, sophistication, and restrain—all of which tie down a plausible desire to be unmoored, discard etiquettes and dive into harmless misbehaviour. Envision a space donned in hues of pink with giant floral sculptures glaring at you, playfully luring you into a night of surreal eating habits and anomalies; envision a taffel where food hides in unexpected places, and you might end up wiping your mouth in a curtain.

‘Taffel’ is an exhibition of furniture sculptures curated by artist and conceptual designer Anna Aagaard Jensen at Etage in Copenhagen. The exhibit, which will be on display from November 4, 2022, to January 14, 2023 at Etage brings together stories and concepts about societal behavioural patterns through the lens of the feminine. Jensen creates a story narrated by the sculptural art and the poetry which revolve around a Taffel, meaning a ‘banquet/table’. The exhibition space prefaces its viewers with a Taffel menu, followed by prose and a paragraph written by Micheline Nahra, Eunice Tietjens and Rawad Baklini respectively. The prose and the text read as:

At the Pink Taffel, Now Cleaned

Above the wine and cigarettes Below the jest that flies

I catch with hal-amused insistence.

A throb of music in the distance—

Your eyes!

Eunice Tietjens

Two large tables decked in salty and sweet delights, stretched across the room. They gathered around with sparkling eyes and gleaming ideals of royal banquets -- but royalty was not present that night. That did not stop them. Chewing under the iridescence of immortal flowers, they devoured sumptuous foods and chugged expensive bubbles. But their physique! Look, look in the mirrors, check for the presence of sleek, sexy lines-- shapes shaded in by empty conversations and bellies filled with culinary pleasures. Then, the ending. After satisfaction, they wiped their hands with curtain sized napkins and retreated back to their homes. All that was left behind was an abundance of meats still sweating in anticipation and icing melting in defeat. Half eaten foods for no one to finish. What was once an extravagant taffel for royalty is cleared away.

With the the objects in the exhibition, one steps into a colourful, playful, pink universe that is teeming with lively objects, oversized floral decor, and a long table filled with creams. The curated furniture designs narrate the ideas and notions that are shaped with the intent to express views and notions about the current society and its idea of celebration. Jensen also draws a line of comparison between the past and current times pertaining to the particular event, bringing to light the contrasting opinions about behavioural changes that mend one’s mind about small details in social patterns. The text backing the exhibit reads as a rhetorical contrast of opinions and situations- to tell a story of change over time.

Anna Aagaard Jensen’s work thrusts to communicate and express stories about preconceived dictated behavioural patterns of people, primarily focusing on women and how they continue to affect modern society. By using a variety of materials in her sculpted thematic forms, Jensen attempts to create a narrative that would be expressed in her art forms. The Denmark-based artist has sculpted many exhibitions along similar themes, and is known for using the representation of objects through the feminine physique. The sculpted forms are usually a combination of contrasting ideas and materials, indirectly intriguing the viewer to imagine multiple points of views.

Through the theme, Anna Jensen choses to use nature or flora as a representation of the female entities, and the sculpted form illustrating the rhetorical situations. The colour palette gives the consumer a tranquil spatial experience, but the sculpt art ironically triggers and stirs questions in one’s mind.