Charlotte Diane Cruse’s thought-provoking works are shown in the Stone Hall this summer. Here, the former owners of the castle gaze down from the walls, encountering her reflections on the uncertainty and unease of our time.
Charlotte is particularly interested in the dialogue that arises between the artwork and the space it inhabits, and in how they shape and influence one another. She is drawn to places and environments that carry their own layered histories. Her inspiration comes from contemporary life, nature, and everyday objects, which she transforms into visual narratives.
Charlotte Diane Cruse was born in 1967 to Danish-French parents, grew up in Cognac, France, and now lives in Denmark. The landscape of her childhood, with its vineyards, frequently reappears as a reference in her exploration of bicultural identity. She describes herself as a kind of graft, formed through the meeting of French and Danish culture.
In her current work, she explores the feelings evoked by the constant reminders of war in our proximity. She does not seek answers, but instead attempts to make these reactions tangible, to acknowledging her own vulnerability, and perhaps to invite others to reflect on theirs.
“I carry within me a fear — fear of violence, fear of war. At times it feels like a heavy shadow pressing on my imagination. In my studio, surrounded by simple materials, I search for a way to give form to this unease. From this process, various works have emerged, each one revealing another fragment of how war shapes both the world and the inner self. ”
While clay remains her primary material, Charlotte works across a range of media, including drawing, film, resin, textiles, and assemblages, to construct the visual narratives she seeks to convey.
