Sculpture in the city
Lea Guldditte Hestelund:
The Keeper
Ongoing
In the roundabout at the end of Køge's central street Brogade stands the sculpture The Keeper. Seen from behind, the sculpture initially resembles a large boulder, but as you move around it, you are in for a surprise.
Photo: Torben Eskerod
At the roundabout by the city’s water tower at the end of Køge Midtby’s central Brogade stands the sculpture The Keeper. Seen from behind, the sculpture initially looks like a large boulder, but as you move around it, you are in for a surprise. The interior of the sculpture is a hollow space that encloses a finely polished egg. The stone’s opening leads out to two feet, resembling thick bear paws, which gently guard and protect the egg – and those who wish to crawl inside the stone.
The sculpture is created by Danish visual artist Lea Guldditte Hestelund. She explains the work: The Keeper is the first of its kind: a public sculpture that, within its body, also houses other bodies. It is a place to take refuge, find shelter, and hide. In a way, it is also a mother sculpture to the extensive decoration I am working on for the new Zealand University Hospital in Køge.
Photo: Torben Eskerod
Foto: Torben Eskerod
With a generous donation from the Ny Carlsberg Foundation, The Keeper became part of MAPS’ collection in 2024 – as the first-ever collection piece placed in the urban space, where it is available to everyone 24/7, just a five-minute walk from the museum.
The Keeper was created for the exhibition Hummings – an exhibition in Køge’s urban spaces and landscapes, an ambitious international exhibition produced by MAPS, which took place from August 14 to September 26, 2021.
