I have grown taller from standing with trees

Catalog for the exhibition I Have Grown Taller from Standing with Trees by Claudia Comte at Copenhagen Contemporary.

Comte’s particular interest in the forest stems from her childhood spent in the Swiss countryside. Known for her large-scale installations that bring together organic forms, digital technologies, and handmade sculptures, Comte’s work highlights the history of materiality and industrial production. As such, the spruce trees of I Have Grown Taller from Standing with Trees may be viewed as time capsules where varying climate conditions are reflected in the way the trunks’ annual rings grow at different rates. This is worth bearing in mind when walking among the spruces, all approximately one hundred years old.

The morphing contours of Comte’s sculptural work suggest organic life. Her high-spirited approach to nature’s beauty and strength aims to evoke appreciation beyond reverence. The exhibition’s graphic language recalls teenage discovery and comic-book adventures, inspiring awareness of the Earth’s fragile ecosystems through a renewed love of the environment.