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

Refik Anadol - Nature Dreams

10th of february - 27th of august 2023

From February 2023, artist Refik Anadol’s breathtaking installations will fill ARKEN’s largest exhibition space, the Art Axis. With the exhibition Refik Anadol – Nature Dreams, the museum ventures deep into the digital realm of art. Come explore an art form that has just begun to gain traction with the general public and is developing at lightning speed.

Butterfly! Arken's collection curated by Esben Weile Kjær

10th of february - 31st of december 2023
Esben Weile Kjær is a luminous star on the Danish and international art scene. In the exhibition BUTTERFLY!, visitors are invited to explore ARKEN’s works within an immersive setting reminiscent of an abandoned skateboard park or a film set that is no longer in use. All will be welcomed by the venue’s mascot, a two-metre-tall cartoon-like butterfly in death metal makeup. Drawing on memories of his childhood and youth, Esben Weile Kjær has created an environment where graffiti, useless skateboard ramps and bus sheds form the backdrop of a selection of more than fifty works of art.