ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Bjørn Okholm Skaarup's Hippo Ballerina Installed at Lincoln Center

artist · 2026-05-05

Danish artist Bjørn Okholm Skaarup (b. 1973) has created a monumental bronze sculpture titled 'Hippo Ballerina,' merging Edgar Degas's ballerina with Disney's dancing hippo from 'Fantasia.' The over four-meter-tall, 2.5-tonne work was cast in Florence, Italy, where Skaarup earned his PhD, and is installed at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York until end of July. A video by Duccio Ricciardelli documents the production process.

Key facts

  • Bjørn Okholm Skaarup is the artist, born 1973, Danish, educated in Italy.
  • The sculpture is monumental bronze, over 4 meters tall and about 2.5 tonnes.
  • It combines references to Edgar Degas's ballerina and Disney's dancing hippo from Fantasia.
  • The work was fabricated in Florence, Italy.
  • It is installed at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York.
  • The installation runs until the end of July.
  • A video directed by Duccio Ricciardelli documents the production.
  • The video features commentary by the artist on his inspirations and process.

Entities

Artists

  • Bjørn Okholm Skaarup
  • Edgar Degas
  • Duccio Ricciardelli
  • Marco Bartolini
  • Basilio Stefano Ruggiero
  • Kai Engel

Institutions

  • Walt Disney
  • Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
  • Artribune
  • VideoArteVirale

Locations

  • Florence
  • Italy
  • New York
  • Denmark

Sources