ISHØJ, Denmark (AP) — A Danish artist who specializes in creating sculptures from recycled materials has spent more than ten years placing giant wooden troll figures across the globe. Thomas Dambo has constructed nearly 200 of these creations spanning 19 nations.
The former hip-hop performer and poet is now moving his fairy tale-inspired works indoors for his inaugural museum exhibition.
“The Garbage Man” exhibition at the Arken Museum of Contemporary Art, located outside Copenhagen, presents a narrative about playful trolls who secretly enter the museum, assume control, and transform the space.
“They build and leave a giant human made of trash … as a lesson for the humans to behave better and don’t put their trash where everybody else lives,” Dambo explained from his workspace near Denmark’s capital city.
The 46-year-old creator began installing his troll sculptures in 2014 when he constructed two pieces for a music festival in Denmark.
In 2016, he concealed six massive trolls throughout forested locations surrounding Copenhagen. This initiative became an internet sensation, attracting millions of online viewers.
“I was like, if I tell a story that combines them all, then when I’ve done this (for) 10 years, I will probably have made over 100 sculptures and … I have made the world into my stage,” he explained.
After twelve years of work, Dambo has completed nearly 200 sculptures. He and his crew construct approximately 25 new troll figures each year. His tallest creation, “Long Leif,” measures 13 meters (43 feet) in height and is located in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.
Typically, Dambo’s creations function as both treasure hunts and artistic displays. His storybook-inspired sculptures are positioned in remote locations including woodlands, mountainous regions, tropical areas, and meadows worldwide, with visitors able to locate them through a digital “Troll Map.”
Examples include “Little Lisa” concealed within a forest in Germany and “Happy Kim” relaxing in a botanical garden in South Korea.
Young visitors climb on the sculptures while adults marvel at discovering the trolls. Dambo calculates that approximately 5 million people encounter his works each year.
“The sculptures bring people out to experience things that they would otherwise have been too lazy or maybe not creative enough to go and visit,” he noted. “My trolls, they bring people to all these small, little corners of the world.”
Every troll created by Dambo features distinct naming and styling. In the Arken exhibition, launching Sunday and continuing through Nov. 29, his latest pieces draw inspiration from childhood companions.
These sculptures possess “personalities of a late teenage, young 20s type of group of boys that are causing havoc, and the type of gang that would break into a museum and fill it up with trash,” Dambo described.
While trolls frequently feature in Nordic legends, Dambo selected these mythological beings as a means to communicate themes about waste management and recycling.
The environmental artist’s sculptures consist almost completely of waste materials and abandoned items, including wooden shipping pallets, used furniture, and old whisky containers.
He explained that working within a museum setting allows him to incorporate materials unsuitable for outdoor conditions, such as abandoned electronics, cardboard, and clothing items in large quantities.
In one section, a troll called “Dyna Dee” rests atop a 6-meter (nearly 20-foot) pile of donated clothing from a neighborhood recycling group.
Dambo aims for museum attendees to depart with motivation to reduce their purchasing habits.
“It’s not really about recycling, it’s about you probably have enough clothes in your cabinet to wear for the rest of your life,” he stated. “This is not my recycling project, this is my stop buying stuff project.”
