Fredrik Raddum has tied a woman’s leg in a knot, just below the knee. She stands on her plinth with her chin up and her eyes closed, as if this happens every day. The image captures the playful tension at the heart of fredrik raddum sculptures.
The Norwegian sculptor‘s new exhibition, Arme og Ben (Arms and Legs), opened on Friday, October 23, at Hans Alf Gallery in Copenhagen. Nearly every body in the show has stopped cooperating. Small figures stand on plinths with an arm or leg knotted off. On the walls, arms, legs, hands and feet are braided into dense clumps, with toes poking out of the weave.
One title, two meanings
The title works as a joke across two languages. In Danish, the phrase “to do something with arms and legs” means putting your whole body into it and giving everything you have. In Norwegian, the same words describe a jumble of bodies, a mess with no one in charge.
Raddum’s fredrik raddum sculptures hold both meanings at once. The body becomes a tool for moving through the world, and also a thing that can get tangled up in it.
Raddum’s bodies share the surreal spirit of hybrid creatures, and surreal toucans, pineapples and sheep shows the same appetite for unexpected combinations in bold colour.
The knots we carry in fredrik raddum sculptures
The exhibition describes the knots as the difficulties people face, some tied by themselves and some by the world or the people they meet. Raddum freezes these moments so the knots are visible. The figures do not panic, and none of them try to untie anything.
The bodies in these fredrik raddum sculptures are simple, almost cartoon-like, and painted in bright colours. That simplicity leaves the problem nowhere to hide. A bronze figure in red shoes tips its head back, looking up as if it has all the time in the world.
In Tangled Couple, two bodies are wound together so tightly that it is hard to tell whose arms belong to whom. The gallery reads the piece as intimacy and interdependence. It can just as easily read as conflict, negotiation or a loss of individual control. Viewers may find themselves changing their minds about which reading is right.
A bird with a ghost
A large bird stands on the gallery floor, holding an empty white sheet in its beak. The gallery says the bird represents the “ghosts” people try to hide. The cloth hangs limp, and the show never reveals what the bird has uncovered. The cloth looks disarmed, helpless and harmless.
Funny first, unsettling second
Raddum was born in 1973 and lives and works in Oslo. He trained at the National Academy of Fine Art in Oslo. Sources differ on when his international exhibiting began, with one listing 1999 and another 2001. His works appear in the collections of Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen and ARoS in Aarhus, among other institutions. His work sits within contemporary sculpture that mixes humour with unease.
The method behind fredrik raddum sculptures is consistent. A figure looks like a joke, then refuses to let the viewer off the hook. This show brings colour back into the work in full force. The one drawback is scale. The small figures can get lost in the room, so visitors should step close to see the details.
If the playful sculptural mood appeals, this playful sculpture that supports gorilla conservation offers a lighter, collectible take on the same humour.
Visiting the show
Sources list different closing dates for Arme og Ben. The gallery’s listing gives November 20, while another source gives November 24, 2026. The show is at Hans Alf Gallery, Holbergsgade 8, Copenhagen. The gallery has represented Raddum for more than a decade, so it is the place to ask about collecting a piece. Updates on new fredrik raddum sculptures appear on Instagram at @fredradd.
For more surreal work, see Inspiration Grid‘s recent coverage of Alex Chinneck’s bent buildings and giant walking sneaker-legs. Photos courtesy of Hans Alf Gallery.
Sources & Links
Source: mossandfog.com
Frequently asked questions
Where is Fredrik Raddum’s Arme og Ben exhibition being held?
The Arme og Ben exhibition is at Hans Alf Gallery at Holbergsgade 8 in Copenhagen. It opened on Friday, October 23.
What does the title Arme og Ben mean?
The title works as a joke across two languages. In Danish, the phrase means putting your whole body into something, while in Norwegian it describes a jumble of bodies or a mess with no one in charge.
What do the knots in Fredrik Raddum’s sculptures represent?
The exhibition describes the knots as the difficulties people face, some tied by themselves and some tied by the world or the people they meet. Raddum freezes these moments so the knots are visible.
Where did Fredrik Raddum train and where does he live?
Raddum was born in 1973 and lives and works in Oslo. He trained at the National Academy of Fine Art in Oslo.
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