ABOUT
Madelin's studio was established in 1986 in a basement flat in Peter Fabersgade in Copenhagen, where she moved to when she was 16, after 2 years at Rantzausminde students-democratic boarding school. Before then she had a rather changeable existence. Lots of moving and changing schools due to parents' divorce. Grew up in the cohousing, community 'Skråplanet´, lived, as a 7-year-old, for half a year at the idealistic Tvind Children's Course in Jutland. Was a bit confused by the many different scene changes, but found her own roots in art and drawing. She designed her first book for Gyldendal publishing house; "Rikke and Sigurd" by Lica Weis Næraa. (1986). It turned into a long and creative collaboration with the editor of Gyldendal Dingo, Jørn E. Albert. More than 60 books were designed for Gyldendal, Carlsen and Malling Bech. Occasionally she studied as a multimedia artist at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, 1998, and the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, 2001. In 2003, her first both drawn and written book 'Skaterkongen' was published, since then several youth books and picture books have been published. Today she work with painting, drawing, graphics, animation, knitting, music, texts, short stories, novels, art events and teach creativity. If you are curious to read her older books, they are under her old author name/synonym: Mikkeline W. Gudmand-Høyer.
The many Dingo books, easy-to-read books for use at school and in libraries. The novels: The Gajolmanifesto, The Art of Keeping a Smile and
On Neptun it rains diamonds are all autobiographical (although with changed names) about a wild and searching youth and artistic life in the eighties.
"On the left is the first Dingo book I did illustrate as a kid in 1986. Part of Dingo's design was a frame on the cover, which I as a draftsman had to break, as I was told by the editor. I would like to break it even more, and in general play more with the language than was done in the old easy-to-read books. I then wrote and drew the series about skater boys, for Gyldendal publishing house, Dingo 2003, with "Skaterkongen" as the first. At that time, there was a lack of easy-to-read books especially for boys who did not bother to learn to read. It was then a struggle to be allowed to write more contemporary with everyday speech. The editor grumbled, but I pushed and finally managed to break the narrow limits of the easy-to-read framework. Since then, the series about Zoe, a skater girl, has been published."
Left: "The Skaterking 2003. Above: Hannah Fang and The Darkman , 2019. 1 part in the series about the vampire girl Hannah, who suffers from fear of light, and simply is to wellbehaved, compared to her vampire parents' expectations about her being a .scary monster.
Also, she wants to be a modern vampire, a vegetarian, and only eat blood oranges. Mother Tarantula doesn't approve of this.
SKATER ZOE text: Madelin Wilian
Illustrations: Bob Katzenelson
cover design (1995 - 2019)
MULTIMEDIA ARTIST
GREEN VALUES
Upon finishing education Madelin Wilian began working as a professional artist in Copenhagen. Since 1986 Madelin Wilian has worked on a variety of creative projects. Her works have been showcased in solo and group exhibitions around the world.Madelin Wilian artistic expression has gone through many phases over the years resulting in a highly personal approach and perspective. She is never content with standing still and are always looking for her next engaging project.
" I grew up in a home with high political awareness, and therefore I was inspired to relate to my own values at an early age. I think about which materials are used. I use vegan -brushes, -glue, -paint, etc, and recycling, as much as possible, as well climate friendly transport when travelling. Collaboration and community with other artists has a high value for me. I have been a vegetarian since a teenager, later a vegan. Well... I am no angel, but I try to do what I can."
"Girl at sea", oil on canvas 40x60 2015
""No titel" Watercolor 2016
BLOD IS BLOD OR?
2007: My artpiece 'blood is just blood or? ' exhibited at Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition. CPH. The work is a handwritten text with the title "blood is just blood or?" ( danish: blod er vel blod? ) which is a true story about a guy who freaks out over my menstrual blood on his sheet, where shortly before he has flirted with me with bloody S/M sex. Menstrual blood is not okay - but blood in a completely different way is apparently ok? You can read the text here in English translation:
( The piece was sold to a woman together with a silverplated tampon ).
BLOOD IS BLOOD OR?
I hang out with a guy from the art academy in San Francisco. He uses his charm to excuse his laziness at the studio. Like me, he's a bit of a sloppy draftsman. Instead of getting really engaged into the shadows on the model's body, he draws the girl with loose pen doodles, and the teacher thinks he's brilliant and that the doodles have "volume".
One evening we hang out at a bar in 'The mission'. We drink rum and get silly and goofy. We go home together to his apartment to wallow in vodka and sex, and we get more and more crooked and crazy.
He asks me if I like S/M, and I say that I am open to suggestions. He picks up a very scary and strange looking metal stand with a killer hook in the side. "It's something from a piece of furniture!" he says with a crooked smile and begins to awkwardly rub the thing against me, playing with the idea of thrusting this monstrosity into me. "Whew!" I think what a lot of blood it will produce. We are naked and roll around on his bed. I guess I'm a little startled by the sight of the hook and suddenly discover stains of blood on the white sheet.Oh! My period has started. The guy turns pale when he sees my blood. "What the hell are you doing?" Now look at how you've ruined the sheet, and hey, it's gone all through the box mattress!" he screams.
"Relax!" I say, it's just blood!"
"Are you crazy, this is my friend's bed, he's going crazy!"
"Hey, it's okay, we can wash it!" I say, but he's completely buttoned up. He throws me out of bed, still holding the metal thing in one hand. Then he examines the bed for blood cells. Ordering me into my clothes and out the door. There I stand now, stunned at four in the morning with no sense of place. Confused by a man's strange relationship with a woman's cunt. Blood is blood, or?
Me and my menstrual blood on paper with text. Charlottenborg 2007.
BLOD ER VEL BLOD
Dansk tekst:
Jeg hænger lidt ud med en fyr fra kunstakademiet i San Francisco. Han bruger sin charme til at undskylde sin dovenhed på studiet. Ligesom jeg er han en lidt sjusket tegner. Istedet for at sætte sig rigtig ind i skyggerne på modellens krop, tegner han pigen op med kuglepenskruseduller, og læreren synes han er genial, og at krusedullerne har "volumen".
En aften hænger vi ud på en bar i 'The mission' . Vi drikker rom og bliver flollede og fjantede. Vi går sammen hjem til hans lejlighed for at tumle videre med vodka og sex, og vi bliver mere og mere skævbenede og åndssvage.
Han spørger mig om jeg kan li' S/M, og jeg siger, at jeg er da åben for forslag. Han henter et meget skræmmende og mærkeligt udseende metalstativ med en morderisk krog i siden. "Det er et eller andet fra et møbel! ”siger han med et skævt smil og begynder lidt akavet at gnide tingesten op ad mig og leger med tanken om at stikke dette monstrum ind i mig. "Puha!" tænker jeg sikke meget blod det vil frembringe. Vi er nøgne og ruller lidt rundt på hans seng. Jeg er vist lidt forskrækket over synet af krogen og opdager pludselig pletter af blod på det hvide lagen. Min menstruation er startet. Fyren bliver ligbleg, da han ser mit blod. "Hvad fanden har du gang i?" Se nu der, hvordan du har ødelagt lagenet, og Hey, det er sgu’da gået igennem hele boksmadrassen!" skriger han.
"Slap af!" siger jeg, det er da bare blod!"
"Er du sindssyg, det her er min vens seng, han går da helt amok!"
"Hey det er da okay, vi ka´ vaske det!" siger jeg, men han er helt knappet til. Han verfer mig ud af sengen, stadig med metaltingesten i den ene hånd. Så undersøger han sengen for blodlegemer. Kommanderer mig i tøjet og ud ad døren. Der står jeg nu, forbløffet, klokken fire om natten, uden stedsans. Forvirret over en mands sære forhold til kvindens kusse. Blod er vel blod?