Iris Bendt-Hedal’s vibrant works contain a critical core. Depicting playful and ironic characters, her paintings have a unique visual nerve and painterly freshness. According to Iris, her characters represent archetypes that we all meet on our journey through life – from innocent to sexualized characters, to the mother, the hero, the villain and many more. Her combination of many different kinds of painterly textures, such as small scribbles, patterns, flat areas and areas painted wet-in-wet defy the conventions of painting which often advocate the use of only a single technique for the sake of coherence. In Iris’ works, the great variation is what keeps the work coherent, alive and visually interesting. Her dynamic brushwork lets you feel the movements and creative energy of the artist – according to herself, it is the contrast between the ugly, the wild and the beautiful and demure which interests her. Her color palette though full of saturated colors retains a harmony that is decidedly modern. Both visually stylish and theoretically rich, Iris Bendt-Hedal’s art makes the viewer reflect on how we view art and the roles that we occupy in society. She has exhibited her art in galleries and museums all over Denmark since 2020, including Den Frie Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, Gallery KbhKunst in Copenhagen, Himmerland Museum of Art and Roskilde Kunstforening.