Year: 2025
Location: Officinet, Copenhagen

In Process

To speak of rebellion might seem excessive, and yet with his first institutional solo exhibition Mikkel Nielsen insists on precisely that- a shift in how we perceive beauty in design. Dramatic as it may sound, the show unfolds a practice in which calculation meets drama, mistakes point to new discoveries and slowing down becomes the fuel to accelerate the process.

Nielsen works with sustainability, not as a fashionable imperative but as a life philosophy. His work style is patient: testing, constructing, meeting challenges, and transforming them into new discoveries. This rhythm extends into the hypnotic swirls of his lamps and vases. Their patterns are intoxicating but calm, exuding a meditative quality that pulls the viewer into a quiet attention.

Repetition is central to his method. Every day begins with the same ritual in the same café, with the same order of coffee. In his designs too, devotion to repetition produces nuance, which then grows—like in nature—into unpredictable, independent forms. This insistence on detail leads Nielsen to envision mass customization through 3D printing: a design language that can extend into larger architectural structures, while preserving uniqueness and intimacy.

The process itself is layered, involving the hands of many. For example each metal piece requires the collaboration of at least six craftsmen: from resin models to silicone molds, from wax positives to bronze casting, from careful polishing to gilding. Presented pieces came together through international collaboration: between Denmark, Germany, Italy and Greece. These networks connect industrial technology to traditional craftsmanship, each object a testament to collective appreciation of detail culminating in almost religious power to captivate our attention.

Mistakes are not disruptions but a method in themselves. For Nielsen, every irregularity carries value: fungi-like growths on bio-plast test pieces, swirling spaghetti forms escaping order, rich irregular textures in the wood of his architecture. From these deviations new directions emerge: beauty unfiltered and unsweetened. To Nielsen, imperfection is a resource, each error a possibility in waiting to sequence it into a new and clear form. That turns the practice into a treasure hunt, staying true to his vision while letting soft shapes drift into the unexpected.

The results astonish with Bernini-like movement, only strengthened by the use of light. Magnetizing flowery structures and seemingly ancient sandstone lamps despite constant swirling call for calming down. Wall of light first shown earlier this year at Roskilde Festival as part of Rehearsals of Belonging 2.0. rythmically breathes with light, supporting the practice of bearing witness, a form of collective healing.

Each work at Officinet functions as both a model or a fragment of future architecture Nielsen envisions. In doing so, he raises questions: what truly defines sustainability? Is it the choice of material? Does the style of an object guarantee longevity? Or are we, as humans, drawn to something deeper—to echoes of natural forms and traces of our own cultural memory? With a knowing smile, Nielsen suggests an answer: that what sustains us most is beauty itself.


Curatorial text by Bartek Arobal Kociemba