Those who know Mugge and Ose are well aware of their individual differences. Mugge is the crazy creative spark, the friendly extrovert whose love for colourful fashion speaks volumes of his larger-than-life personality. Ose is gentle, sensitive, more introverted, a highly creative and talented painter who is interested in “capturing beauty in my work. My aim isn’t to scandalise or shock, but to give people something lovely to contemplate.” Mugge, CEO of the company, is a licensed business lawyer and economist who has been involved in fine arts, graphic design, dance, theatre, events, and more. During the last five years before he moved to Spain, Mugge worked in his native Denmark for the Ministry of Social welfare, on a special project aiming to help late deafened people and those with hearing disabilities improve their quality of live. Ose, Creative Director, is a trained haute couture designer who is as interested in history and culture as he is in Southern Spanish culture. Many of his paintings are almost three-dimensional; they invite beholders to touch their surfaces to feel the difference in textures.

Grupo Artenovum is as eclectic and sensitive to modern demand as the artists themselves. Ose’s figurative art displays a wealth of influences and includes extremely lifelike paintings of classical sculptures, animals, still life, and Andalusian-inspired figures such as toreros and flamenco dancers. Mugge’s art is often modern, colourful and abstract, as impactful as the artist himself.

Artenovum is equally strong in the realm of graphic arts. Thus, all the duo’s designs can be printed on a variety of materials and in numerous dimensions. Think everything from canvas to Plexiglass PVC, photo paper, cloth. “Digital art allows for dazzling combinations in figurative or abstract styles,” notes Mugge. Graphic design also makes for unique presents for friends and loved ones: everything from placemats to earrings.

Artenovum likes to keep standards high by investing in cutting-edge technology. Thanks to top quality 3D-printing technology, classical and modern sculptures come to life in a dazzling way. One of Artenovum’s best loved works and already a new design icon are their Bobby Bears, 3D printed in a variety of bright and neutral colours and just about as chic as designer accessories can be. There are other animals to choose from, including donkeys (€75 from each sale of a 3D-printed donkey goes to the Donkey Refuge), sea creatures, and more. Equally modern are Ose’s Statement Art pieces, featuring modern paintings that inspire you to think; or Mugge’s Faces, featuring painted ‘masks’ that somehow remind one of the ancient masks used in Commedia dell’arte.

Suddenly, when you start thinking of Mugge and Ose as futuristic artists, they whiz you back to culture and history with collections such as The Donnas del Mundo: portraits that represent women (donnas) from different cultures. The Donnas were dreamed up by both of them, and Mugge, together with the help from friends, created stories and mythology around each one. Clients can request to be painted in the special ‘Donna’ style and to be part of the Donnas del Mundo, or ask Mugge and Ose to style a portrait based on their own life stories.

Mugge and Ose are always dreaming, creating, and adapting. “People may think we are odd, crazy, too much, too little, too dull, too flamboyant…” they say, “but at the end of the day we are just two artists on a mission to put creativity, art, and design into your life”. Their unique synergy comes from the union and clash of their personalities and styles. “I am very protective of my art,” says Ose, who nevertheless always takes Mugge’s opinions and advice into account, so that all works are the product of the meeting of yin and yang that ensures Grupo Artenovum continues to grow, change, and bear a new standard for the contemporary art scene.

WORDS MARISA CUTILLAS PHOTOGRAPHY KEVIN HORN AND COURTESY OF ARTENOVUM

Tel: 650 324 012.

www.artenovum.com