Frida Rindal
- Anna Lilli Garai
- Aug 12
- 4 min read
Frida Rindal is a Danish artist and writer studying in Amsterdam and London. She works with found materials like styrofoam and cardboard, often picked up from the street or collected from bins. Her sculptures are shaped by the material itself, with each piece carved or arranged based on its original form. In her installation "Apocotyledonalypse," she focused on contrast and balance, combining rough shapes with the clean surface of white styrofoam. Her practice is driven by curiosity, careful observation, and a hands-on approach to building meaning from everyday waste.
Q: You’ve been building things from trash since you were a kid. What keeps drawing you back to discarded materials?
A: There are several reasons why I like to work with discarded materials. Firstly, there is the availability of it. You can find so many interesting pieces of cardboard, wood etc. in bins. As an art school student, free materials are always appreciated. Then there is the fact that you get the opportunity to discover new purpose in something that has been thrown away. Building sculptures from trash is a nice way to experiment artistically without creating too much waste in the process. Lastly, I find that the irregular shapes- and types of materials really stimulate my imagination. If I see some trash with an interesting structure- or shape, it immediately gives me ideas about what to build from it. This way, I am training my eye to notice potential in things that are generally deemed to be without value.
Q: In "Apocotyledonalypse" you carve each styrofoam piece intuitively. What guides you when you’re working like that?
A: When I was carving the individual styrofoam pieces for my installation, "Apocotyledonalypse," I was mainly guided by the original shape of each piece.
As they had originally been produced for the purpose of packaging (of eg. electronics), each piece had a shell-like shape to it. I quickly realised that it was very difficult to glue styrofoam, and for that reason, I decided to focus on what I could create with the unique properties of the material in mind, rather than trying to change it too much. I always find that I learn a lot from investigating any given material. Especially if I have not worked with it before, which was the case with the styrofoam for "Apocotyledonalypse."
Q: The installation feels both ruined and strangely clean. What made you want to hold on to the whiteness of the material?
A: I often prefer the rawness of an unaltered surface in sculptures. I like it when you can look at a work and see every detail of what it was made from and how it was crafted, especially if it was built from a ‘trashy’ material. Additionally, I felt that the bright white colour of the styrofoam would make for an interesting contrast against the grey basement where the installation was presented. The styrofoam carvings reminded me of old bones or ruins, and at the same time, the material looks so clean and brand new. I very much enjoy this incongruity. It added an extra layer of mismatch to the work—something that always catches my eye.
Q: You often explore the space between destruction and creation. Where does that interest come from for you?
A: I usually enjoy destructive aspects of art, as there is a lot of energy to be found in the breaking-apart. However, I prefer to see an element of re-building alongside these chaoses. I always love artworks that contain a hint of hope.
They make me curious and interested because they are multi-faceted. In terms of "Apocotyledonalypse" I wanted to address the in-betweenness of destruction and creation by making the installation appear ambiguous: Are the pieces emerging and coming together, or are they shattered slices of something that once was?
Either way, in this moment they are frozen in time between destruction and creation. Right at the point of uncertainty and questioning, which is what I find most interesting.
Q: You describe your work as sensitive and sharp, touching on loneliness and longing. How do those feelings shape the mood of a piece like "Apocotyledonalypse"?
A: In terms of "Apocotyledonalypse" I did not have much of a plan for the project when I was working on it, and instead trusted it to unfold—and come together on its own. This, to me, is an example of longing within my practice. Longing for a resolution, without planning for a specific outcome. In terms of the subject matter, I feel that the installation addresses both longing and loneliness. It depends on how you see it. To me, it is lonely because of how physically still it stands within the room. There is no movement or storytelling. Only thoughts of what might have been and what could be.
Q: You like a mix of tragedy, humor, the ugly and the beautiful. What’s the balance you aim for when those things come together?
A: When I create, I like to pair elements that are generally perceived as ugly with more beautiful elements, in an attempt to create an intriguing visual contrast.
I find that the ‘ugly’ things, such as raw cardboard, can actually be a lot more beautiful than perfectly smoothed surfaces, as they contain a lovely grit and a texture. I am fascinated with contrasts, both when it comes to subject matter and the appearance of a sculpture or a work. One contrast which I am interested in exploring more is humour and tragedy. They are rather difficult to balance, but when done correctly, the outcome can be spectacular. Admittedly, I still do not know how to achieve this.
