projects
A collection of sculptural and mixed-media works that examine repression, resilience, and the structures - both visible and invisible - that shape our world.
Elin Nielsen Art Artist projects sculpture picture painting
Emotional Skin
Emotional Skin speaks of suppression—of emotions held beneath the surface, pressed down until they warp, shift, or force their way through. Metal structures, cold and unyielding, serve as both shield and restraint: a defense against further harm, yet also a force of containment that denies release. Beneath them, textile forms swell and press outward, bearing the weight of what is hidden. Their rust-stained fibers carry the traces of time and neglect, much like unprocessed emotions that, when left unattended, undergo their own slow transformation. Rust, an unwanted reaction, emerges in the absence of care—just as suppressed feelings, buried too long, may re-emerge in unfamiliar or even destructive ways.
But repression is never absolute. The fabric strains where it is most confined, pushing against its restraints, its altered form a testament to both endurance and distortion. The work does not speak only of rupture, but of confrontation—of what happens when the concealed is forced into view. It asks: What cost does suppression carry? What does it mean to face what has long been buried? Through its interplay of tension and resistance, Emotional Skin explores the fragile balance between protection and constraint, between holding in and breaking through.
rest on me
Rest, one of humanity’s most basic needs. And yet in Western society, we’re taught to see rest as something we have to earn through hard work. This mindset often sidelines our mental wellbeing, even though it’s essential for us to function well. We’ve come to measure a person’s worth by how productive they are, and we tend to look down on those who prioritize their own well-being over keeping the wheels of society turning. However, even if someone manages to carve out time for rest, we are confronted with the next issue I see in our modern definition of rest. The idea of relaxation has been turned into a commercial product and even a basic need like rest is capitalistically profited from, be it with goods, binge-watching Netflix or the modern idea of self-care.
Furthermore, the chance to rest in our global system is a luxury that is by no means guaranteed to all people in this world. For those of us lucky enough to have some leisure time, these international structures imply that this comfort often comes at the expense of others. Whether it’s the clothes we wear, the food we eat, or the entertainment we consume, our relaxation is often built on someone else’s labour - and sometimes, their suffering. This piece is a commentary on this privilege as well as exploitation within contemporary society. It reminds of a couch - the representation of comfort and repose, but each element serves as a poignant reminder of the labour and suffering upon which the privileged inevitably rest.
Blissful ignorance -
there’s blood on your lies
At its core, this work speaks to humanity’s capacity for selective blindness - the way we look without truly seeing, how horrors fade into the background when wrapped in the familiar glow of tradition, authority, or faith. At the center stand Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, not as a condemnation of belief, but as an emblem of something far older and broader: the collective narratives we weave to make sense of the world. Such symbols offer solace, purpose, and guidance, yet they also hold the power to conceal, to justify, to sanctify the unspeakable.
Atrocities, when repeated often enough, lose their sharp edges. Violence, veiled in ceremony or principle, is softened until it blends into the fabric of everyday life. Even those who seek to confront these realities are not immune; overwhelmed by a flood of tragedies, we turn away, become numb, fall into the same patterns of inaction. The sculpture does not instruct, nor does it accuse—it mirrors. Its objects, carefully chosen, hold their own weight, arranged like fragmented truths waiting to be pieced together. But no explanations are given. What is revealed depends not on what is placed before the viewer, but on what they are willing—or able—to see.
Blissful Ignorance – There’s Blood on Your Lies questions this fragile balance between awareness and avoidance, between witnessing and looking away. It is a reminder that silence is never neutral and that, in the absence of reckoning, even the most glaring truths can vanish beneath a halo.
Remnants
In our society, especially children are particularly often subjected to imbalanced power relations. This installation deals with childhood sexual abuse and the resulting trauma, harm, and emptiness it leaves in its victims.
The work attempts to bring attention to the often silenced stories of intrafamilial abuse and invites the viewer to confront the uncomfortable truths that don’t only exist in the news, but perhaps even in one’s immediate environment.
Loss of Control
This work explores the sensation of disorientation and loss of control—an experience that resists containment in a single moment. Instead of distinct images, the composition unfolds as a continuous, shifting field, evoking the dizziness of a spinning sensation. The seven interconnected panels, joined by hinged joints, form a walkable circle, allowing the piece to be physically entered rather than just observed. Movement becomes part of the work itself, immersing the viewer in an experience where perception wavers, balance feels uncertain, and the act of seeing gives way to a more visceral, felt understanding.
