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Slut [The End]
At Jack Barrett, New York City, US

20.05 - 02.07.2022

Jack Barrett is pleased to present Slut [The End], a solo exhibition by Danish artist Rasmus Myrup. This marks the artist’s second solo show with the gallery. The exhibition presents a series of nine pastel drawings in custom frames, five embroidered works on wood, and two large-scale installations. Slut, pronounced /sloot/ in Danish, translates to ‘the end.’ Carrying a vastly different meaning in English, Myrup examines both interpretations of the word, and draws parallels between Norse mythology and contemporary intimate relationships.

According to Norse cosmology, in the beginning there was Ginnungagap, an empty void. To the north of this gaping hole was a realm of ice, and to the south a realm of fire. The realms of fire and ice eventually converged, and from this occurrence, primordial life sprung into being. Similarly, the end of the world, known as Ragnarok, is brought on by the two extremes of fire and ice. The world freezes over in a three year long winter and is then set ablaze by a giant's flaming sword. Everything stops and life ceases to exist.

Slut. The end.

However, this end merely prompts a new beginning—an eagle soars over the sea in search of food. The world ended only to begin again. In Norse mythology, time is cyclical rather than linear. The initial extremes of fire and ice are not simply the beginning, but echoes of the endings that came before. Beginnings and ends are not one, but many.

In a similar sense, intimate relationships, whether they be short-lived or long-term, emulate the cycle of Norse myth. A new lover comes into existence unexpectedly, filling the Ginnungagap void of past love affairs that have since burned out or turned cold. In his exhibition, Myrup leads the viewer through the lifecycle of relationships, depicting everything from the initial stages of desire, as seen in Sparks Across the Room (Igniting Muspelheim), moments of intense passion, like in Engulfing Kiss (Jabbed by The Sword of Surtr), and ultimately to the first signs of the inevitable end, like in Cold Shoulder (The World Tree Shudders).

But as the tale goes, the end of one love affair creates the opportunity for the beginning of another.

Slut. The end.