Facing the Arctic

The artwork is a LEGO-based shadow installation shaped like Greenland as seen from above.

When the sculpture is illuminated, it casts a shadow depicting an unnamed political figure facing a much larger polar bear. The shadow highlights a distortion of the scale and reflects the tension between greedy and naïve desires for control and the reality of nature and sovereignty.

The work explores the childish mechanisms that can characterise power – the desire to take what belongs to others, and the frustration of being rejected. LEGO as a material emphasises play, construction and simplification, whilst also serving as a strong reference to Denmark.

The project was developed in Finland and realised in Denmark during Media Art Days 2026 as part of a residency at Brogården Kulturvæksthus in Ringkøbing-Skjern. It was first presented to an audience during Media Art Days at the Vestjyllands Kunstpavillon in Videbæk on 7 March 2026.

A work of art produced by the VINTERLYS festival, Ringkøbing-Skjern Municipality.

Anni Laukka (1982) is a Finnish artist who works with sculpture, light and shadow. At first glance, her shadow works may resemble one thing, whilst the light reveals an entirely different figure in the shadow. In this way, she explores the visible and the hidden – and weaves multiple narratives into a single work.

SUPPORTED BY
the Kemp & Lauritzen Foundation and
the Knud Højgaard Foundation

THANKS TO
Koch Ejendomme · Newsec · EDC · LIPO Invest ApS · Børnekulturhuset in Aarhus