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. New permanent exhibition from June 2024: DANISH MODERN Danish design is known and loved – both at home and abroad. But what led to its success, which designs are central, and who are the major Danish designers of the 20th century? The exhibition 'Danish Modern' unfolds the story of Danish design from the 1920s to the 1970s, focusing on the creation of some of the most iconic Danish design objects. Special exhibitions:  IN LOVE & WAR, 26/4/24-5/1/25 Images of heroic warriors in battle and beautiful young people can be experienced in the exhibition 'In Love and War' at Designmuseum Danmark. The exhibition showcases carefully selected Japanese woodblock prints from the museum's large collection of Japanese craftsmanship.   In Love & War provides a rare glimpse into a period in Japan’s history when the shogun ruled and the country was isolated from the outside world. Here, the audience can experience images of beautiful young men and women from the so-called Edo period (1600-1868), when the Tokugawa shogunate ruled from the capital Edo, today Tokyo – as well as images of samurai and modern graphic war images from the Meiji period (1868-1912), where feudal rule under the shogun was replaced by a constitutional monarchy under Emperor Meiji. The title of the exhibition refers to the proverb “In love and war, all is fair” and alludes to the visual impact of the famous Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints, one of the foremost art forms of the Edo period. The distinctive expression in the ukiyo-e idealized the daily life of the prostitutes of that time and served as visual propaganda in the form of war images with nationalist and patriotic undertones.   The Future is Present, 19.6.22-31.12.24 Is society more diverse or more homogeneous in the future? How will we prioritize and design our communities? How do we create healthy and nourishing relationships? Will our behavior become more socially oriented, or will we be further apart and become isolated? Which human values will be more important? What will the future look like, and what will design look like in the future? 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. They search extensively for inspiration, ask different questions, and envision themselves in the communities, whose lives they want to improve. 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.

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):   Poetics of Encryption, 28 sep – 12 jan 2025 Kunsthal Charlottenborg presents this year’s major group exhibition in close collaboration with KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin. Poetics of Encryption explores the dark side of tech, bringing together 38 international artists. Installed in Kunsthal Charlottenborg’s grand south wing, the exhibition spans analogue and digital media featuring historic and newly commissioned works. Though we rely on digital tools for many things, we rarely understand how they work. Moreover, due to the proprietary nature of much corporate tech, even the most curious among us cannot gain deeper insight. Today, we are forced to come to terms with our relative lack of power in the face of inscrutable systems. What symptoms of this personal and political drama register in the cultural field? What moods, symbols, or narrative frames capture the aesthetics and politics of exclusion, occlusion, secrecy, and speculation concerning technology’s inside? The exhibition is curated by Nadim Samman, the author of the recent book titled Poetics of Encryption. Art and the Technocene. It surveys an imaginative landscape marked by ‘Black Sites’, ‘Black Boxes’, and ‘Black Holes’ — terms that indicate how technical systems capture users, how they work in stealth, and how they distort cultural space-time. These three themes form the basis for the exhibition Poetics of Encryption that play out across more than 1000 m2 in Kunsthal Charlottenborg’s south wing. Francis Upritchard, 28 sep – 16 feb 2025 Experience Francis Upritchard (b. 1976, based in London) unfold a world of mermaids, mythical creatures and eccentric figures in her first Scandinavian exhibition. Presenting more than 100 works, this comprehensive exhibition creates a space somewhere between ideas of our past and visions for a future. Upritchard works in a field where visual art and craft intersect. Her art takes on many different formats, ranging from large-scale figurative sculptures to ceramics, blown glass vases, jewellery and diminutive beings. Her references include ancient art, Asian folklore, 20th century European sculpture and science fiction literature as she investigates how the past is perceived today and what the future might look like. Among the exhibited works are sculptures embodying mythical and fantastic figures such as the centaur, the dinosaur and the mermaid, made in bronze as well as balata, a natural rubber from Brazil. At Kunsthal Charlottenborg, these beings will be accompanied by a large collection of the artist’s miniature sculptures and a group of eccentric figures dressed in colourful clothes. As an ensemble Upritchard’s works escape established norms and create a kaleidoscopic narrative, which offers the opportunity to contemplate different facets of the human condition. 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): The song is the call, and the land is calling, 14.6 - 29.12.24 Step into the thought-provoking works of the Palestinian artist duo Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme, which fill CC’s large Hall 3 with electronic rhythms, sampled archival material, captivating imagery and system-critical and poetic texts. The exhibition “The song is the call and the land is calling” unfolds simultaneously at CC and the Glyptotek, highlighting the deep connection between cultural heritage and identity. This double exhibition presents several of the artist duo’s key works in new versions, drawing connections between stories of oppression and dreams of liberation across different countries, histories, and political contexts. Marta Minujín: Intensify Life, 11.10.24 - 21.4.25 The major exhibition of the autumn at CC will be Europe’s first retrospective of the groundbreaking Argentine pop artist Marta Minujín. Marta Minujín (b. 1943) is an iconic figure and one of the most prominent Latin American pop and conceptual artists of all time. Over the past 60 years, she has developed happenings, performances, installations, and video works that have influenced generations of contemporary artists in Latin America, the USA, and Europe. The exhibition at CC unfolds Minujín’s life’s work across periods and geography, showcasing several of her most recent pieces, including gigantic installations, soft sculptures, and large collage paintings covered in Minujín’s iconic neon stripes and illuminated with video projections. Thanks to CC’s close collaboration with the artist, the audience will also have the unique opportunity to explore archival material that highlights some of the most central parts of Minujín’s work from her over 60-year-long career.

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 (denfrie.dk): The Restaurant Season 2, October 5 2024 - January 19 2025 Will Benedict & Steffen Jørgensen Over the course of the past eight years, Will Benedict and Steffen Jørgensen have collaborated on an ongoing video series called The Restaurant, showcasing episodes in various exhibition contexts. The series is set in the ruins of a Parisian skyscraper, surrounded by dense jungle, where we are introduced to a variety of human and non-human characters who cook, serve, search for meaning, and fail in their attempts at being productive members of society. In Season 2, presented here at Den Frie, we follow a police detective and owner of Café Wha? as she aggressively questions customers on their eating habits, their relationship with “hanger”, and the effect food has on their lives in general. In the shadow of The Restaurant, a humanoid blue chicken and a man with ears for eyes host a science podcast for a small group of barn animals. With the aid of experts in the fields of bio-engineering, physics and zoology the program explores the world of the microbiome, the origins of fat, and what it would be like to live on an earth made entirely of blueberries. Over the course of each episode we meet a melancholy moon, a T-Rex stuck in an outhouse, a disenfranchised scarecrow and a half man, half snail making the essential deliveries that hold this world together. The elaborate installation of Season 2 places the viewer in the middle of this world, complete with a kitchen, toilet and bed along with all the other vital corporeal necessities a conscious organism could need.  

Welcome to Gammel Strand A UNIQUE PLACE FOR ART LOVERSIn the heart of Copenhagen’s historical district right by the canalside lies Gammel Strand, an art institution focusing on modern and contemporary art. Gammel Strand showcases 6-8 exhibitions annually focusing on new Danish talent, the international contemporary art scene and artists art-historical themes in a present-day perspective.In connection with the series of exhibitions Gammel Strand regularly presents a per­spec­tivizing programme of events involving talks and debates, literature readings, concerts and guided tours. Visitors can also enjoy a break in the café with the charming courtyard, and buy art books, posters, and design items in the shop.  This spring, Gammel Strand presents an extensive exhibition with Yael Bartana (b.1970, Israel). Through video works, photography and installations, Bartana explores current, complex issues of national and cultural identity, trauma and power structures. The exhibition presents a wide range of Bartana’s work, from early video works and photo series to her latest comprehensive film work Malka Germania (2021). The exhibition runs from 2 February to the end of May 2024.   Special Exhibitions (gammelstrand.dk): In the Shadow of Burning Light, 7/6/24-8/9/24 In just a few years, Christina Quarles has become a significant name on the international art scene. Now, she is being shown for the first time in the Nordic region in this extensive solo exhibition. The Time Before, 21/6/24–8/9/24 Anna Bjerger and Chantal Joffe present poetically strong paintings, showcasing a painterly kinship between two artists whose lives and works have intertwined. As young artists, Anna Bjerger and Chantal Joffe shared a studio, building a close relationship and a tight collaborative environment. Women, children, potted plants, fashion, and detailed, intimate scenes comprise the subject matter that characterizes both artists' universes. The upcoming exhibition at Gammel Strand delves into the narrative of friendship, community, and the loneliness of being in the middle of life and longing for what has already passed. Chantal Joffe (b. 1969) is a British Artist known for her paintings of people, some very large, often of family and friends, the emotional intensity of relationships between people and how that can be painted are what interest her. Chantal graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland and The Royal College of Art in London. Anna Bjerger (b. 1973) is a Swedish artist living and working in Småland. She graduated from Central St. Martins School of Art and Design and The Royal College of Art in London. In her poetic and figurative paintings, Bjerger explores subjects from the intimate sphere, ranging from a coffee cup or a pair of shoes to friendships and other close relationships.

KØS Museum for Art in Public Spaces is one of the only museums in the world dedicated to exploring, communicating, and debating art in public spaces. The museum presents innovative exhibitions with Danish and international artists, showcasing how art can challenge, reflect, and change the world we live in. KØS provides art projects in public spaces that dare to take new paths, creating unexpected encounters between people and urban spaces. At the museum, you can explore different exhibitions, participate in children's activities, guided tours, and other events. At KØS Café, you can enjoy sustainable reinterpretations of classic Danish open-faced sandwiches and toast, delicious cakes, freshly brewed coffee, organic wine and beer, and much more. The goal is, that the food on your plate contribute positively to our shared nature and climate. In 2022, KØS Café became part of the international network Becoming CLIMAVORE as the first art institution in Denmark. Becoming CLIMAVORE was initiated by the London-based artist duo Cooking Sections, who have engaged art institutions across Europe and North America with the shared purpose of promoting more sustainable and climate-conscious eating habits. KØS Collection The KØS collection houses more than 18,000 works, sketches, and archival materials that together provide a unique insight into the history of art in public spaces across different times and spaces. The collection is exhibited regularly and is actively used in the museum’s educational programs, while selected artists are invited to engage with the works, creating new connections between the past, present, and future. Other Activities The museum also offers educational programs that teach children and young people about the significance of art in public spaces, equipping them with tools to become active participants in their own cultural life. Additionally, KØS contributes to research that investigates and develops the role of art in public spaces, both in Denmark and internationally.