Frodo Mikkelsen

Artist Q&A with Frodo Mikkelsen

The last ride, acrylic on canvas, 80×70 cm,  2020

Why did you become an artist?

My father was an artist, and when i was 8 years old, I told him that I wanted to be an artist. He gave me all the support I needed and told me that i had to choose a path. That path started in 1984 when I started painting graffiti at just 10 years old.

Frodo Mikkelsen, photo by Nikolaj Palmskov

How is your work different than everything else out there?

I have heard many times that my work is unique, even though I use symbols like the skull a lot. Other artists use them, but mine is just still mine, being clean and crisp.

What’s different about your current body of work?

My early work was very crowded, and I tried everything. I still do a lot of different things, but I don’t mix it anymore like I used to. I’m working on getting my art more clean and graphic; it’s shaping up!

Totem dreams, painted oakwood, 100x100x50 cm

What’s coming up for you?

Right now I am showing in a gallery in Brooklyn called Java Project Brooklyn, in a show that me and Paul Brainard curated with American and Danish artists. I am also showing at The HEART Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Frederikshavn Kunstmuseum, and Vestjyllands Art Museum, all here in Denmark. There are also group shows in Kode, Bergen Art Museum, and in Mocak-Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow. Next year I will be showing at Vrå Art Museum, and a gallery in Hamburg and Berlin in Germany.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out today?

A lot of people thinks that being an artist is easy, but it is hard work 24/7, so think big, have fun, and work hard. The rest will follow, as I think that the hard work in the studio is most important.

When is a piece finished for you?

It’s very hard to say when a piece is done. I often over do it, and I struggle to get my work to be clean and graphic. It is just done when it’s done; just a feeling I guess.

What are the influences and inspirations in your new works?

I can’t name any artist, because there are so many great ones out there. I’m most inspired by cartoons, pop art, music, and movies.

Tell us about a few of your career highlights or moments that greatly affected your career?

Things started for me in the early 2000s when I had my debut in the Danish art scene in 2001 when I exhibited in an exhibition that takes place every Fall in Den Frie Udstilling in Copenhagen. In 2005 I had a painting in the artist’s Spring show at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, and in 2012-13 I had a show at Munch gallery in NY. The show sold out and Ben Stiller bought 6 pieces from the show, and one of the sculptures got in to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 3D collection.

Collage III, mixed media,  43×53 cm, 2020

To learn more about Frodo and his work, please visit www.frodomikkelsen.dk.