The group exhibition Zugzwang brought together five artists to confront the concept of Zugzwang, a situation in chess, where every possible move worsens ones position, mirroring the modern paradox of entrapment in the very systems we as humans have created. Through their works, the exhibition mapped this collective paralysis, exposing the invisible rules and strategies that lure us into the system.

Here, Alva Le Febvre discuss her work, whether or not she plays by the rules, and the absurdity of the game.

Can you expand on the series of work you have included in the exhibition and how you think it relates to the concept of  Zugzwang?

I relate my works to the concept of Zugzwang through perception and looking. In chess, Zugzwang describes a situation in which you are forced to make a move. There is no neutral position, and remaining still is not an option. For this exhibition, I am showing four photographic works consisting of enlarged toy and doll eyes that seem to stare out into the room, or at each other. A central aspect of my work is an exploration of what I, for lack of a better term, call the feminine still life. From pop-cultural depictions to self-defence tools and toys, I am interested in how femininity has been constructed visually and historically within the still-life genre. This time, I have been looking closely at toy eyes. Often disproportionately large and cute, their features are designed to trigger an instinctive desire to nurture and protect, which I find both fascinating and repelling. They demand so much attention that I almost feel forced to look at them, and even care for them. It is funny to think about how many hours we have spent staring at each other in the darkroom. And now, for the past few weeks, they have been staring out of Brigade Gallery's large windows, with a good view of the 7-Eleven on Vesterbrogade.

Zugzwang refers to a state of entrapment within the rules of a game. How do rules affect your process when working?

I would say that I have so many rules in my head that they sometimes get in the way more than they actually help. As for this show, I produce the majority of my works in the darkroom. The darkroom is, of course, full of rules in terms of light, chemicals, and timing. But I actually think of the process more like painting. Once I have found a motif, I keep reworking it for weeks in the darkroom. In that sense, it feels almost opposite to today's super fast and infinite image stream.

The damned if you do, damned if you don't logic suggest an element of absurdity to the exhibition. Perhaps reality is not as black/white, but do you find any truth to this?

Yes, especially in relation to looking. Every time you direct your attention towards something, you are also excluding something else. I recently read a book called The Object Stares Back by James Elkins. He argues that one cannot "just look" and that every act of seeing is shaped by desire, projection, and psychological states. He describes it almost as if the things we look at are staring back at us. Even a shoe or a door is staring back at you, if you look at it.