Juha Pekka Matias Laakkonen

Every day until September 20, visual artist Juha Pekka Mathias Laakkonen works as a caretaker of nature. At a series of locations between Blåvand Beach, Grønningen, and Skallingen, he connects with the landscape, creates tools from materials found on site, and invites passersby to engage in dialogue.

This process-based work unfolds over tour weeks, and Laakkonen's current location is marked by a kite – inspired by Pacific Island communities that, like the Wadden Sea, are vulnerable to rising sea levels.

The title Blackbirding refers in part to the blackbird's movements on the ground as it searches for food. From a darker perspective, the title also refers to the British Empire's abduction of people from the Pacific Islands for forced labour, which continued until the early 20th century. The work is a poetic, humorous, and critical commentary on labour, nature, colonial history, and climate change.

Juha Pekka Matias Laakkonen is known for his uncompromising investigations of the relationship between humans and nature. While his works may at first resemble studies of nature, they in fact challenge the boundaries of the natural and the extent of human intervention within it. With an often ironic tone, he points to the human urge to preserve the existing state of things—an impulse that, from a broader perspective, can appear both self‑important, paradoxical, and ultimately futile.