Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s iconic recycled troll sculptures are moving indoors for the first time. The exhibition ‘The Garbage Man’ opens at Arken Museum of Modern Art in May, featuring eight new trolls built entirely from waste materials.
From Nature to Museum
Thomas Dambo’s towering troll sculptures have become familiar sights across the Danish landscape. For years, these massive figures have drawn people into nature, encouraging outdoor exploration and environmental awareness. Now, these beloved giants are making their first move indoors.
The upcoming exhibition at Arken in Ishøj marks a significant shift for the artist. It represents the first time his trolls will be displayed in a traditional museum setting, bringing his outdoor installations into the controlled environment of an art gallery.
Dambo wants visitors to have an extraordinary experience. He aims to create something that feels crazy, wild, and exciting. Beyond entertainment, he hopes to demonstrate that remarkable things can emerge from our garbage. By placing waste-based art in a museum, where society stores its most precious objects, he challenges perceptions about the value of discarded materials.
A Global Troll Army
The Danish artist’s creations extend far beyond Denmark’s borders. Dambo has built over 170 trolls across 19 countries on five continents. Millions of people worldwide have encountered these gentle giants, making them recognizable figures in the international art scene.
Most of these sculptures have been constructed directly in the landscapes where they stand. This outdoor building process allows for unlimited vertical space and freedom from structural constraints. However, preparing for the Arken exhibition has required a completely different approach.
Building Indoors Brings New Challenges
For the past six months, Dambo has worked from his farm outside Roskilde. The property includes two workshops where he and his team have constructed the eight trolls destined for the museum. These particular sculptures incorporate old whisky barrels and wood scraps from vocational school students’ graduation projects.
The exhibition’s narrative centers on trolls breaking into the museum at night and filling it with a junkyard. Dambo believes this will create a striking contrast between waste materials and the refined museum environment.
Working indoors presents complications that outdoor construction never posed. Ceiling heights and doorways now factor into every design decision. The sculptures must be built so they can be disassembled, moved into Arken, and eventually removed again. This logistical complexity adds layers of difficulty compared to outdoor projects where the sky provides unlimited overhead clearance.
Time and Team Effort
Creating these massive figures requires substantial time investment. Each troll takes between 400 and 500 hours to complete. Naturally, Dambo doesn’t work alone. He employs a team of assistants at his farm who help bring these ambitious projects to life.
Despite working indoors for this exhibition, Dambo’s trolls maintain their characteristic scale. The sculptures tower over their creator, reaching several meters in height and requiring careful engineering to remain stable.
Living the Recycled Life
Dambo’s commitment to recycling extends beyond his artwork into his personal life. His home features furniture and fixtures made from reclaimed materials. He sees this consistency as essential. The values expressed in his art must also appear in his living space.
Over time, people around him have recognized his passion for reuse. He describes himself as a garbage magnet, constantly receiving old items from others who know he’ll find creative uses for them. He admits to never being able to refuse these donations.
For Dambo, his favorite feeling comes from transforming something discarded into something valuable. Taking materials from the ground and elevating them through creative transformation brings him deep satisfaction.
A Message to Fellow Artists
The thought of creating art from new materials feels foreign to Dambo. He finds it painful to imagine large temporary exhibitions built from brand-new materials that will be destroyed and discarded after just six months.
This perspective shapes his message to other artists. He considers art a fantastic medium for recycling waste materials. His greatest recommendation to fellow creators is simple: stop making art from things you must buy and destroy. Instead, embrace recycled art by taking garbage and transforming it into value.
About the Artist
Born in Odense in 1979, Dambo graduated from the Design School in Kolding. He calls himself a recycling artist and has worked exclusively with reclaimed materials throughout his artistic career. Before becoming known for his trolls, he expressed himself creatively as a rapper and graffiti artist.
He has spent the last 12 years building his troll collection. His ultimate goal is ambitious: to place 1,000 trolls around the world. With over 170 already standing, he’s well on his way to achieving this vision.
Exhibition Details
‘The Garbage Man’ opens at Arken on May 24 and runs through November 29 this year. The exhibition offers visitors a rare opportunity to experience Dambo’s work in an indoor setting, surrounded by the contrast between refined museum spaces and the raw, recycled materials of his towering trolls.
Sources and References
The Danish Dream: Art Galleries in Copenhagen
The Danish Dream: Best Museums in Denmark for Foreigners
DR: I årevis har hans skulpturer trukket folk ud i naturen – nu flytter troldene indenfor på museum
