The works appear as powerful vulva shapes – not as passive representations, but as vital expressions of a feminine power that insists on the right to define itself. – a series of objects that are neither painting nor sculpture.

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, April 23, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ — RIDE THE TIGER: NEW EXHIBITION BY THYRA HILDEN

Gallery MAXUS101, March 28 – May 11, 2025

Opening: March 28 from 16:00 – 20:00

5 min. Video Interview by Art Matter:
https://youtu.be/sSBz00ErxOA?feature=shared

Short interview by Art Matter:
https://youtube.com/shorts/rAKhFUoDpUg?feature=shared

Press folder: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/d7per68rvtd4ugjxzr4jo/ANUHRvOhG6ySAFFYC4XwaUA?rlkey=imndwy6eewxlas0hkwis9jzz4&st=6a3z557x&dl=0

In the exhibition “Ride the Tiger,” Gallery MAXUS101 presents an ambitious series of new works by Thyra Hilden, marking a significant development in her artistic practice.

Throughout her career, Thyra Hilden has worked with simple yet powerful expressions, where destruction and creation stand in a dialectical relationship with each other. In this new series, Hilden explores the feminine through monumental works, where the canvas is no longer just a neutral surface but becomes an active material that is cut, bent, and reborn in a new language of form – a series of objects that are neither painting nor sculpture.

The works appear as powerful vulva shapes – not as passive representations, but as vital expressions of a feminine power that insists on the right to define itself. Through a raw, destructive treatment of the canvas, Hilden creates a visual language that is seductive in its simplicity and also conceptually innovative.

“Hilden’s works contribute an important, vital insight into women’s position in art,” says gallery owner Anthon Maxus. “Her work follows a significant tradition from artists like Hannah Wilke, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Louise Bourgeois, while also pointing forward to contemporary artists like Maja Malou Lyse.”

Previously, Hilden has worked with monumental projects that have attracted international attention. Her “City on Fire” projects, where cultural monuments such as the Colosseum in Rome and the ARoS Art Museum were virtually set on fire, were covered by international media such as CNN, BBC, and Euronews. The artist’s fascination with dialectical forces and the sublimation of energy is now expressed in a more materialized and intimate form.

The exhibition also presents a series of smaller wall-objects that function as studies and variations on the overall theme. These works demonstrate Hilden’s ability to move between different scales and materials, while maintaining a cohesive and distinct artistic vision.

Regarding her artistic process, Thyra Hilden says: “By cutting and twisting the canvas, the almost sculptural ‘wall-vulva’ emerge, which for me represent a proud and undeniable feminine force. The feminine is by no mens passive here. There is a direct line from my previous fire works to these new pieces – both are about taking a raw, almost uncontrollable dialectical force and wanting to sublimate it into something creative and vital. The desire is somewhat akin to wanting to ride a tiger… Hence the title of the exhibition, “Ride the Tiger.”

The exhibition “Ride the Tiger” marks an important phase in Hilden’s artistic development and confirms her position as a significant voice in Danish contemporary art.

All press materials, texts, photos, and videos can be found in the Dropbox and may be freely used for coverage of the artist’s work.

For further information, participation in the breakfast and press preview, or any other inquiries, please contact: Anthon Maxus, Gallery MAXUS101

Kind regards,

Anthon Maxus

E: maxus@maxus101.com
www.maxus101.com
www.thyrahilden.dk
M: +45-26162987
WhatsApp: +4528833704
Instagram: Maxus101
Instagram: Thyrahilden

Gallery and Exhibition Information:

MAXUS101

Ørestads Boulevard 61C, 2300 Copenhagen S

Nearest metro: Bella Center and Ørestad

Parking: Paid parking available at VM Bjerget or Field’s P-garage

Opening hours:

Saturday and Sunday from 14:00-18:00, or by appointment.

Exhibition period:

March 28 – May 11

Ride the Tiger
Exhibition text by Maria Kjær Themsen

“When you bring Durga into your inner world, the painting seems to say, she can empower your most radical aspirations and guide you through your most conflict-ridden life dramas.”

We know Durga, the tiger-riding goddess from Hindu mythology, as one of the most powerful deities personifying Shakti – the life-giving force that extends through all existence. Durga is a complex figure: a warrior, protector, erotically powerful and empowering. She is not merely beautiful and sensual, but also strong and unrelenting in her battle against the destructive.

In one of her most famous myths, Durga comes into the world to defeat Mahisha, the mighty demon in the form of an orange bull. She rides her tiger to conquer power hunger and the suppression of life. Mahisha is an arrogant creature, full of pride and with a contemptuous view of the feminine. His sole goal is to become totally invincible and make everyone serve a function in his own agenda – or be eradicated. He is simultaneously a metaphor for the powerful patriarchal structure seeking to suppress and ignore the feminine principle.

But as the myth tells, only a woman can defeat him. Durga – in her complete, incomparable form – is called to save the world from his dark grip. This is not just a battle between two forces, but a profound symbolism of how feminine strength can break through even the most oppressive systems.

Durga prepares for battle with her eight arms, each holding a weapon, a symbol of protection and struggle. In her hands, we find both the beauty of nature – in the form of a lotus – and spiritual practice in the form of a prayer beads. Durga encompasses both the destructive and the protective, and her strength is connected with the power of love rather than the love of power.

This duality – the power of love vs. the love of power – has been distorted throughout history, where feminine creative power has been suppressed. We also see traces in the Christian tradition, where the Mother Nature figure disappeared, and God was symbolized through a masculine trinity, which over time became a power structure that not only overshadowed the feminine but also attempted to eliminate it.

We stand at a critical shift in the Western world, where the words “female”, “women”, and “gender” are being challenged, attacked, and attempted to be erased by the current form of Mahisha. It is therefore high time that we rediscover and once again honor the feminine life force in all its manifestations and expressions.

Thyra Hilden and Durga in Art

Thyra Hilden awakens Durga’s violent and beautiful Shakti in her new series of vulva-shaped canvas and gold paintings. Hilden creates works that are not just beautiful, but radiate the strength and sensuality of feminine creative power. Her paintings depict vulvas that looks like flowers, as insects, as mysteries. They are both aesthetically attractive and deeply symbolic – representing creation, sexuality, and the powerful energy that is the fundamental essence of love.

In one series of works, Hilden has worked with canvas that is cut, folded, and twisted. Here, the flat fabric gains a three-dimensional form, a structure reminiscent of flesh and skin. In another series, she paints the vulvas in the purest gold. The gold’s luster adds an extra dimension of honor and significance to these primordial forms, which are not merely passive representations of the feminine, but filled with life, agency, strength, and depth.

The Battle Against Mahisha: An Epic Metaphor

In the Durga myth, she defeats Mahisha, who represents the primitively egoistic desire for total control, with a foot on his neck. But he dies with a blissful smile on his lips because he finally understands that he cannot defeat what he himself is created from – the life force, Shakti, love. Durga’s victory is both physical and symbolic. It is a victory for feminine power over everything that wishes to subjugate and destroy life’s unfolding in all its manifestations.

In our time, we again face a challenge: to preserve the feminine creative force, to protect it against the powers that wish to break it down. Durga is the flaming tiger-riding goddess who reminds us that we are stronger than we believe, and that we have the power to create and protect everything we hold dear.

As the tantric teacher Sally Kempton expresses it: “She is beauty personified, sexuality clothed in form, enchantment itself.”

1 Sally Kempton: i Awakening Shakti – The Transformative Power of the Goddesses of Yoga, Sounds True, 2013, p. 56
2 New York Times, article, March 7th, 2025: “These Words Are Disappearing in the New Trump Administration”
3 Ibid., p. 61

Exhibition text by Maria Kjær Themsen

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