VERDURE

Aalborg, Denmark | 2026
Out in the Open | KIRK Gallery

Created for KIRK Gallery's Out in the Open project in Aalborg, Denmark, Verdure is a 14 metre tall mural exploring the relationship between people, nature and the environments we build around ourselves.

We've followed Out in the Open for years, admiring not only the scale of the murals but the incredible collection of international artists who have contributed to the city. It's a project that has helped shape Aalborg's relationship with public art, so being invited to add our own work to that story was something we were incredibly excited about.

The composition brings together two figures entwined within an abundance of organic growth. Leaves, flowers and natural forms weave through the portraits, gradually becoming inseparable from them. The work explores nature's ability to adapt, reclaim space and continue growing within the structures we create. There's an underlying influence from Danish folklore too, bringing a connection to the stories and traditions of the place in which the mural now lives.

At 14 metres tall, Verdure is also one of our most ambitious stencil works. Every element of the portraits was cut by hand in our studio over several weeks before being transported to Denmark and carefully assembled on the wall. Working at this scale requires an enormous amount of preparation and trust in the decisions made long before we arrive on site. Unlike a studio painting, there's very little opportunity to stand back and completely rethink an area once the process is underway.

An important part of this piece was developing the relationship between our precise stencil work and the much freer layers of paint surrounding it. The background was built directly onto the wall using layers of colour, texture and expressive marks, creating a surface that feels alive beneath the detail of the portraits. Further painted layers were then introduced throughout the process, allowing the structured and organic elements to work together rather than exist separately.

This balance has become an increasingly important part of our practice. We spend weeks, sometimes months, cutting the finest details by hand, but we're equally interested in what happens when that precision meets something less controlled. The small imperfections, shifts in texture and marks left behind are all part of what gives the finished work its character.

Verdure feels like a culmination of so much we've been exploring throughout 2026, both technically and creatively. A continuation of our fascination with growth, resilience and the way people and nature exist alongside one another, but also a reminder of why we remain so committed to making everything by hand.

And perhaps that's what we hope people take from the mural. Something that becomes familiar as they pass it each day, but still leaves room to discover a new detail or find their own meaning within it.

A huge thank you to Lene and everyone at KIRK Gallery for inviting us to be part of Out in the Open and for making us feel so welcome in Aalborg.

With thanks to:
Montana Cans
Huusly AS
PPG Industries
B&B Hotel Denmark
KLU Materiel Nord