ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art in Ishøj south of Copenhagen presents exhibitions with Danish, Nordic and international art – from new, young talents to established names ARKEN is a great and monumental building situated in the artificial landscape Køge Bay Beach south of Copenhagen. The museum has one of Scandinavia's finest collections of contemporary art, and the museum's maritime architecture with the pointed stern, which majestically protudes into the terrain, has won recognition both at home and abroad since its inaugaration in 1996.  ARKEN's collection contains more than 400 works - Danish, Nordic and international contemporary art primarly from the period after 1990. The museum houses, among other things, one of Europe's most important collections of the British artist Damien Hirst. Experience the museum's evolving sculpture park, nine works by acclaimed German artist Anselm Reyle as well as a magnificent masterpiece by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.  Distinctive architecture The museum building is an attraction in itself. With its scenic location on Kunstens Ø, or ‘Art Island’, the building, designed by the architect Søren Robert Lund, resembles a beached ship. A lagoon meanders its way around the museum, with several bridges linking the museum island with the surrounding beach area. The museum café hangs like a lifeboat on the side of the building and through the large panoramic windows overlooks Køge Bay. The museum shop is the area's leading design shop with an inspiring mix of Nordic design, art books, and gift items.   Exhibitions Group Therapy, 29.2.24-28.7.24 An inflatable flock of chickens and a burned-down preschool. An outboard motor as a national symbol of Greenland. In the exhibition Group Therapy — New Contemporary Art at ARKEN, contemporary art unfolds in many forms. Sharp, insightful, caring, dynamic and humorous - the artists explore our era and invite us to reflect on our place in the world. The exhibition's works have recently been added to the museum's permanent collection, and they are presented in an exhibition that promotes conversations about conflict, emotions, hope and healing. In her installation, Lisa's Chickens (Farm Life), Benedikte Bjerre has given a large flock of helium hens the 50 most popular girl names in Denmark right now, raising playful questions about our market-driven and gendered world. Cliché-filled ideas about gender are also challenged by Tora Schultz, who, with her Prada stilettos, inspired by the poster for the Hollywood film The Devil Wears Prada, humorously criticises the sex symbols of the fashion industry and the demeaning propensity of our society to compare powerful women to the devil. Martin Brandt Hansen punches a hole in the stereotypical notion of national identity with works such as Uummat (heart in Greenlandic) in which he transforms a Honda engine — a global symbol of strength, speed and power — into an elegant and humorous monument to today's Greenland. Anish Kapoor, Unseen: 11.4.24-20.10.24 Anish KapoorKapoor's monumental sculptures and installations speak directly to our senses and emotions. Through his unique eye for materials, shapes, colours and surfaces we are drawn into and seduced by his work, which turns the world upside down — often quite literally. Kapoor has been shown in the largest exhibition venues in the world, and he has also created several significant pieces for public spaces. Anish Kapoor was born and raised in an Indian-Jewish family in India. From 1973, he was educated in England, where he has worked ever since.‍ ARKEN's exhibitionThe exhibition at ARKEN showcases a selection of Kapoor's most significant large-scale works created during the artist's more than 40-year career. The exhibition will be spread throughout most of ARKEN's halls: the Art Axis, the Large Gallery, the Graphic Gallery and other adjacent galleries. Despite the large exhibition space, the exhibition contains only about 10 works. The majority, however, are very extensive, and in scale and intensity the works will fill the entire museum. All of the works are built specifically for and integrated into ARKEN's architecture. In this way, the exhibition will take the form of a total intervention in architecture that challenges the usual way the building is used and the spaces are experienced.  

With a unique location in Copenhagen’s historic centre, near tourist attractions, the harbour boats, design companies and galleries, Designmuseum Danmark is a working archive and the entrance to Denmark as a design destination.  Experience one of the world’s largest collections of Danish design, counting works by Finn Juhl, Arne Jacobsen, Poul Kjærholm, Verner Panton and Hans Wegner. In addition, the collections cover applied art and design from Art Nouveau to contemporary Danish design and include glass, ceramics, fashion, textile and poster art. The museum, situated right next to Amalienborg, is one of the finest examples of rococo architecture in Copenhagen. It offers thematic design exhibitions, special events, guided tours and workshops. Visitors are also invited to explore our beautiful garden, the café with indoor and outdoor service, the museum shop, and library. Special exhibitions:   PROUD, 5.10.23-26.5.24 Join fashion designer Nicholas Nybro on a design adventure across Denmark, from Amager to Ærø and from Hirtshals to Højer, resulting in 21 vibrant, diverse, and modern folk and regional costumes. The Future is Present, 19.6.22-31.12.24 Currently, designers around the world are working on solving some of our global challenges. Thinking radically and creatively, allowing themselves to be guided by both reason and emotion. Akut, series  Welcome to an exhibition about what is happening on the design scene right now. AKUT showcases everything from trends and tendencies to design, which address current issues and provide new perspectives on design and crafts.

Art gallery, water reservoir and urban dripstone cave  The subterranean space beneath the green lawns of Søndermarken Park works as a breathtaking stage for contemporary art installations. The cold, humid and dark old water reservoir might remind you of long-forgotten cathedrals and gloomy catacombs – it is sparsely illuminated, and the atmosphere evokes fascination and enchantment in both children and adults.  Every year Cisternerne invite an internationally recognized artist or architect to create an exhibition particularly to this underground space – an exhibition in large scale that interacts with and emphasizes the unique architecture, climate, atmosphere and history of Cisternerne. March 17th to November 30th 2024: Start Again the Lament by Taryn Simon Cisternerne presents an extensive sound installation by artist Taryn Simon. Building everlasting recitations of loss, Start Again the Lament explores how we mourn individually and collectively, considering the anatomy of grief and who we choose to guide us through it. In the act of lament, discontent is publicly performed. Professional mourners are granted the authority and solicited by the bereaved to occupy, negotiate, and shape their loss.  In a relentless replay, the lamentations of professional mourners are broadcast into the reverberating space of Cisternerne. These sonic rituals of grief include northern Albanian laments, which seek to excavate ‘uncried words’; Wayuu laments, which safeguard the soul’s passage to the Milky Way; Greek Epirotic laments, which bind the story of a life with its afterlife; and Yazidi laments, which trace a topography of displacement and exile. Cisternerne becomes an instrument echoing recitations of loss with a reverberation of 17 seconds.

Exhibitions in the Black Diamond - The Royal Danish Library Storytelling, sensuous experiences and unique objects set the mind in motion when visiting exhibitions in The Black Diamond. With cultural heritage as an inexhaustible reservoir, everything from Søren Kierkegaard to contemporary art is staged, with particular emphasis on literature and photography. Current Exhibitions:  The Camera and Us - The Camera and Us presents a selection of works from the photography collections of library, which contain several million images. The theme is the human being as a motif and the exhibition asks what photography does to our perception of ourselves and our conceptions of each other. Treasures in the Royal Danish Library - An exhibition with library's most precious, beautiful, significant, and valuable treasures. From the oldest of manuscripts to the Internet's ever increasing digital cultural heritage. Explore gems from the collections of science, philosophy, cartography, music, and much more – or take a peek into the lives of a number of prominent Danes by reading Søren Kierkegaard's letter to his fiancé, Karen Blixen's own manuscript, or Hans Christian Andersen's diary. ON THE EDGE, 23.2.24-10.8.24:  The exhibition ON THE EDGE focuses on The Black Diamond as an architectural landmark and as the users' building. The Black Diamond is shaped like a sculptural monolith. With its distinct cubic shape and glossy black facade, the library's cultural centre has become one of Copenhagen's architectural icons. The Black Diamond has its 25th anniversary in 2024, and it will be celebrated with an anniversary exhibition. The exhibition focuses on the visions for the building, the Diamond's distinctive architecture and on the building's role today as a culture house and National Library.

Kunsthal Charlottenborg is one of the largest and most beautiful exhibition spaces for contemporary art in Northern Europe The exhibition space presents an ambitious program with international outlook featuring talents as well as established stars from both Denmark and abroad. Kunsthal Charlottenborg presents uncompromising and agenda setting art still understandable for everyone. The trendsetting exhibition program is supplemented with a large number of activities like artist talks, performances, concerts and film screenings. Ever since Kunsthal Charlottenborg opened in 1883, the venue has hosted exhibitions featuring many of the leading contemporary artists of the given times, accommodating many different types of shows and activities. Charlottenborg now celebrates its long history with a large-scale exhibition featuring all-new and older works alike. Together, they will evoke and add nuance to the history of Kunsthal Charlottenborg, a venue without a collection or a historical archive. Embracing chaos, affinities and time glitches, the exhibition Full of Days forges intuitive connections between historical moments and less-remembered shows, stories and events. Through a cacophony of voices, contemporary and historical artists are framed into a reflection on the elusiveness of time and the multiplicity of its representations, offering a non-linear account of one the Kunsthal’s possible histories.   Special Exhibithions (Kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk):   Thao Nguyen Phan, Reincarnations of Shadows: 13.3 – 11.8 2024 Visual artist Thao Nguyen Phan (b. 1987) intertwines mythology and folklore from her homeland’s turbulent past with current pressing issues of excessive consumption and the destruction of the earth’s resources. The intersection between the documentary and the supernatural take centre stage in this exhibition, which evokes ghostly presences, lush landscapes and unofficial narratives. Charlottenborg Art Books The independent bookstore offers a distinctive selection of books and magazines, including publications in the fields of fine art, critical design, typography, literature, and theory.Apollo Bar & Canteen Apollo Bar & Canteen are Kunsthal Charlottenborg’s bar and dining place by chef and creator Frederik Bille Brahe. Every weekday from Tuesday to Friday, you can enjoy a healthy and delicious lunch at the canteen, and all week you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or an exciting dinner or just a cup of coffee, a glass of wine or a drink at the bar next to the courtyard.

Copenhagen Contemporary (CC) is Copenhagen’s international art center showing installation art created by world stars and new emerging talents It occupies the magnificent former B&W welding hall offering a total of 7,000 m2 of beautiful industrial halls with plenty of space to show the technical and large formats in which many contemporary artists work: total installations, performance art, and monumental video works. Art that can often be entered and sensed with the whole body.  Copenhagen Contemporary is one of Scandinavia’s largest exhibition venues for contemporary art and a lively meeting place for a wide audience. CC creates collaborative partnerships and organises events with a number of different partners across cultural genres locally and internationally. You can attend art talks, art walks, concerts, creative workshops for children, visit CC’s own shop offering Scandinavian design, and experience the unique and historical city district of Refshaleøen.  Situated centrally in B&W’s iconic welding hall, CC is an international power hub in Copenhagen’s new cultural district. The special quality of this area continues to be defined by its industrial history: the area is raw and green with commanding views across Copenhagen Harbour. The district is a mix of first-class gourmet restaurants and small entrepreneurial initiatives; you can go for a dip in the sea, for a sauna, enjoy a glass of wine, and eat grilled food, buy quality bread and visit Copenhagen’s most popular food market with stalls from across the world and lounge areas by the water’s edge. Not forgetting the climbing, skating,and skiing activities, the flea market, and the theatre and music festivals, which are just some of the many activities this area has to offer.    Exhibtions (copenhagencontemporary.org): Kapwani Kiwanga, The Length of the Horizon: 26.1.24-25.8.24 For her first major exhibition in Scandinavia, the internationally renowned artist Kapwani Kiwanga (b. 1978) explores social mechanisms and power dynamics through large-scale installations of plants, foliage, sand, colour and light. Just below the surface of Kiwanga’s seductively beautiful works lurk critical themes. Plants tell toxic stories of power imbalances, colours have manipulative effects and light is investigated as a political instrument. Stretching across CC’s two biggest halls and 1600 m2 of space, the exhibition unfolds in a flow created by Kiwanga’s elegant handling of materials and their secrets. With her affinity for captivating, non-static experiences, the artist proposes fluidity as a sculptural principle in works permeated with the idea of continuous re-creation and adaptability.

Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art is a must see in Copenhagen for anyone interested in art and architecture. Den Frie is closed between exhibitions. Please check the website before going. Den Frie was founded by artists in 1898 and is one of the oldest venues for contemporary art in Denmark. It is in itself a unique and very beautiful wooden building designed by famous artist J.F. Willumsen. Den Frie’s fundamental aim is to present the very latest in contemporary art. We host exhibitions by national and international artists, all of which address current issues. The extensive programme of exhibitions and events are evidence of Den Frie’s role as an active platform for living art and
art production, and the commitment to contribute to contemporary existence. With its relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, Den Frie is also a popular meeting place for artists, students, tourists and the many locals who pass by. As a visitor you’ll feel welcome and enjoy having your interest in contemporary art stimulated, whether you’re an art connoisseur or a beginner. On top of which the architecture alone is well worth a visit. Den Frie also houses the café, Polykrom, where you can enjoy a delicious lunch or a well-made cup of coffee.   Exhibitions: Mea Sculpa, 24. Feb - 9. Jun 2024 As part of Den Frie’s exhibition series Dacapo revisiting former artist-run spaces, SQ – Louis Scherfig and Frederik Worm – presents Mea Sculpa? In 2013 Louis Scherfig and Frederik Worm founded SQ/squash (www.squashclub.biz) while studying at the art academy, and they ran the exhibition space together with Jonas Frederiksen until 2017. During its existence SQ organized solo and group exhibitions, publications and happenings in parks, exhibition spaces, sports venues, cinemas and in book format. Den Frie Udstilling 2024: Naboplanter, 13th of Apr. - 26th of May 2024 Den Frie Udstilling 2024: Naboplanter is curated by the artists Jesper Christiansen, Torben Ribe, and Hannah Heilmann, focusing on the possible social and artistic connections that exist between the members of the artist association Den Frie. As one of the oldest artists associations in Denmark, Den Frie was founded in 1891 and it has continually incorporated new members, like an old garden where a changing fauna of plants co-exist. The title of the show is inspired by Sofie Isager Ahls book Naboplanter, poetically conceiving human beings as social organisms able to cultivate relations accross species and families.