Festival Art Souterrain

As part of the Floating Art biennial, Asmund Havsteen-Mikkelsen immersed a partial reproduction of Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye in the Vejle fjord (Denmark, 2018). This work, Flooded Modernity symbolizes the decline of modernity’s values and promises in light of contemporary challenges such as the environmental crisis, political instability, and rising property prices. Le Corbusier’s “Machines for living” proposed innovative housing ideas based on space and functionality. Since then, we have seen a lot of postmodern residential architecture, right down to the “McMansions”. Nowadays, the real estate market is mainly focused on maximizing small residential units without giving much thought to spaces and their interrelationships. This raises the question: What has become of the progressive ideals established by Villa Savoye and the Cité radieuse? Are the housing promises of that era now shattered?

Havsteen-Mikkelsen infuses a subtle, almost supernatural spirit into seemingly strict architectural forms through his paintings of modernist residential spaces, often marked by human absence. While modernism has frequently faced criticism for its austerity and perceived emotional detachment—characterized by a lack of decoration—Havsteen-Mikkelsen transcends these criticisms. He reveals that even minimalist interiors can hold emotional resonance and express sensitivity.

The Danish artist trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen (Denmark) and holds a master’s degree in literature and philosophy from the University of Copenhagen. He is well-known for works that investigate the intersection of modern architecture, politics, and social issues. In his practice, he questions architecture’s role not only as a living space but also as an ideological statement. His work addresses themes such as perception, memory, democracy, utopia, and critiques of modernity, encouraging reflection on the structures that shape our daily lives. He aims to combine aesthetics, humanity, and spirituality in how we engage with the spaces we inhabit. Havsteen-Mikkelsen has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Denmark and internationally, and he has produced several solo exhibitions, including The Future Begins at Home (2011), The House of Being (2018), and Privacy (wilding) (2021).