N°138 BUTTERFLY!
Hey there art lovers! I must tell you about a groundbreaking exhibition I went to see at the ARKEN-Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen. For the first time in the history of the museum, an artist is curating an expo from the museum’s collection.
The artist is Esben Weile Kjær, a young Danish native who is making waves in his home country and in the international art scene with his unique style that challenges the traditional boundaries between art and mainstream culture. And let me tell you, with this expo BUTTERFLY! he does exactly that.
With BUTTERFLY! Weile seeks to transport us back to his youth and nostalgia seeps through Weile’s perspective on the collection. Since his first visit as a fifteen-year-old, he’s developed a deep fondness for ARKEN’s artworks. Whether it’s Wolfgang Tillman‘s snapshot photographs or Henrik Plenge Jakobsen‘s fragmented body installation, these pieces speak to Weile in a way that he wants to share with all of us.
Weile beautifully examines identity formation, the role of popular culture and technology, and the quest for community and freedom. He goes all out, incorporating elements like merchandise, skate parks, occupied bunkers, and happening nightclubs and press photos that could pass as fashion campaigns. It’s bold, it’s different, and it’s taking over the museum, making it an urban space.
As you wander through the exhibition, prepare for an immersive experience that stimulates all your senses. The walls and floors are adorned with vibrant graffiti art, created by Mira Winding and her talented crew. The atmosphere is enhanced by carefully composed soundscapes by DJ and composer Courtesy and guitarist Jakob Madmoon Lamdahl. It’s a melancholic yet captivating ambience that will transport you deeper into Weile’s world.
You can catch the BUTTERFLY! exhibition at ARKEN Museum until December 2023, and if you can’t make it, be on the lookout for Weile’s upcoming solo exhibition at Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg, Denmark in 2024. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience art in a whole new way, through his eyes!
Below is a video were Esben Weile Kjær tells us about the expo from his point of view. Highly recommended to watch!
More about the expo and about Esben Weile Kjær himself here
Photos and videos are from https://uk.arken.dk/udstilling/coming-up-butterfly-arkens-collection-curated-by-esben-weile-kjaer/ (21/07/2023)
