Feminist Aesthetics presents new paintings by contemporary artist Emily Gernild alongside sculptures by modernist Sonja Ferlov Mancoba. Through a dialogue between the two bodies of work, the exhibition explores the relationship between form, material, and symbolism – across time and artistic expression.

Sonja Ferlov Mancoba (1911–1984) was a key figure in European modernism, known for her bronze sculptures inspired by African and pre-Columbian art. She was a member of the CoBRA artist group and worked in a period marked by post-war political and ideological tension. Emily Gernild (b. 1985) is a contemporary painter based in Copenhagen. Her work often starts from concrete objects, which she combines with an intuitive and tactile painterly approach.

Ferlov Mancoba’s practice has been a central reference for Gernild’s new series of paintings. Several of the works draw directly on Ferlov’s formal language, such as bird-like figures and masks – motifs that in Gernild’s interpretation become more fluid and dissolved. The paintings are also shaped by the architecture of the Vigeland Museum and the surrounding park. The palette is inspired by the building, and the rose – both as a botanical subject and symbolic motif – recurs throughout the series, referencing the rose garden in Vigeland Park.

During the process of developing the exhibition, Gernild discovered that the family of a close friend had been long-time collectors and supporters of Sonja Ferlov Mancoba’s work – a fact she had not known before. Several of the sculptures on view are on loan from this private collection, lending the exhibition a personal and historical layer, and reinforcing the sense of resonance and dialogue between the two artists.

Gernild also sees Ferlov Mancoba’s work as an example of what art historian Karen Kurczynski has described as a “feminist aesthetic,” in the exhibition catalogue Sonja Ferlov Mancoba. Mask and Face. Kurczynski writes: “In other words, she offers a feminist aesthetic – not necessarily because she is a woman, but because her work challenges authoritarian and oppressive forms through a bodily, open, and relational approach.” This perspective has also been central to Gernild’s thinking for this exhibition. For her, a feminist aesthetic offers an alternative to fixed interpretations and closed forms – a way of creating work that allows for sensuousness, complexity, and shared experience.