They seem realistic, yet the oil paintings of Ingeborg Rorbye are not what we as a rule define as naturalistic. Instead, the artist is showing us reality as communicated through different medias: old photographs, film stills or the many pictures available through the caleidoscopic turmoil of the internet. To underline this point, Ingeborg Rorbye often uses a monochrome palette, making it obvious that what we are looking at is a product of art, a piece of artistic fiction.

This approach to painting is traceable back to Magritte and, later, Gerhard Richter, who has made a powerful impact on many Danish artists. But Ingeborg Rorbye has replaced the art theoretical language of the German painter with her own storytelling style, with clear undertones of nostalgia and suspense as well as a redeeming sense of humour.

Through her frequent use of suspense, Ingeborg Rorbye avoids the ‘memory lane’ perspective, connecting her style with the paintings of Edward Hopper as well as the films of Alfred Hitchcock
.Using light/shadow effects, dramatic trimmings or surprising angles, painting with monochrome, even sinister, colours, Ingeborg Rorbye changes images of reality from well-known to strange; but always softened by a warm, humouristic touch - concious of the fact that life for most of us, rather than holding big dramas, consists of everyday events, misunderstandings and love affairs. The artist seems to tell us that we are neither better nor worse off than before. And this understanding, together with her fine visual storytelling abilities, makes Ingeborg Rorbye a very interesting artist.