ARKEN is Denmark's leading museum for contemporary art.
ARKEN is Denmark's largest museum for contemporary art. You can experience exhibitions of contemporary art that relate to you, the life you live, and the communities and societies you are part of. Each year, the museum also presents a variety of exhibitions featuring modern Danish, Nordic, and international art.
The museum building is an attraction in itself. Designed by architect Søren Robert Lund, the building resembles a stranded ship with its pointed bow jutting into the landscape, just a few meters from the water. The museum is situated in scenic surroundings with a long sandy beach, making a visit to the museum perfect for a walk or a dip in the waves.Exibitions:55.6° North - Arken's Collection - 05.02.26–30.08.26:55.6° North is ARKEN’s major exhibition of Nordic contemporary art, exploring how identity, community, power, nature, and climate are changing in a time shaped by geopolitical shifts and global uncertainty. Bringing together artists from across the Nordic region, the exhibition offers both local and global perspectives on Nordic traditions, values, and contemporary challenges through a wide range of artistic expressions.
Photo: Lukas Bukoven
Photo: Tobias Valentin
Photo: Benedikte Bjerre
Photo: Ursula Munch-Petersen
Photo: Joakim Züger
Gammel Strand
A unique place for art lovers
In 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 artist's art-historical themes in a present-day perspective. Gammel Strand is a locally rooted, internationally oriented art centre and cultural hub in the heart of Copenhagen. The exhibition program presents art that takes a critical and nuanced approach to the present and focuses on the big questions of the time – from the intimately personal to global dilemmas. Gammel Strand is also a platform for conversations, debates, and activities that bring people, art, and culture together in new communities.
New exhibition:
Lyst Ursula Munch-Petersen - May 21 – August 30, 2026
Gnome figures, doll-sized tableware and snail shells. Scent jars, cups and bowls. Piles of earth, tea sets and fish platters. Why create more in a world that already has enough things? Throughout her life, Ursula Munch-Petersen posed some of the most difficult questions an artist can ask themselves: Am I an artist? What justifies my work, and how can I contribute to a better and more sustainable future? Munch-Petersen was one of the most original figures in Danish ceramics and her approach to the material made her known as the woman behind the iconic URSULA tableware series. Gentleness and care are key qualities that characterize both her process and the finished works. From small whimsical forms to large public commissions, MunchPetersen moved through a wildly overgrown landscape of styles shaped by remnants of the past and visions of the future. Communities formed the unifying centre around which both the potter’s wheel and storytelling revolved.
CAPITAL Benedikte Bjerre - May 21 – August 30, 2026
Chocolate coins and camels, flowers and bees. In Benedikte Bjerre’s universe, nothing is quite what it seems. Here, capital grows like crops in a peculiar landscape where chickens move freely between social critique and fairy-tale logic. Through sculpture and photography, Bjerre works with a conceptual and humorous visual language. Growth, value and fertility are recurring themes that emerge through motifs and symbols. From Disneyfied animals and ventilation systems to daisy flowers, Bjerre sketches a portrait of capitalist food chains, prompting questions such as: Did the chicken really come before the egg? And which straw is the one that breaks the camel’s back?
Katharina Sieverding: Life-Death - 05.03 – 30.08.2026:
Katharina Sieverding is a key figure in feminist art history, yet her work has rarely been shown in Denmark. At Gammel Strand, her early video work Life‑Death (1969) is presented—an experimental and sensorial piece exploring fluid boundaries and contrasts between life and death, gender, night and day.
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 the café, the charming courtyard, buy art books, posters, and design items in the shop.
Related Attractions
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): Pani, so tradeł / Water that Wanders, 12 March – 16 August 2026:Małgorzata Mirga-Tas is a Polish artist and activist who, through textile collages, portrays Roma culture with a focus on community, cultural heritage, and women’s lives. Her first solo exhibition in Denmark at Kunsthal Charlottenborg presents both new and existing works that challenge artistic hierarchies and highlight overlooked stories. Mirga-Tas’ works combine poetry and politics and insist on recognizing Roma people.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.
Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art is a must see in Copenhagen for anyone interested in art and architecture.
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. Den Frie is closed between exhibitions. Please check the website before going.
Exhibitions (denfrie.dk):Wien-København. Den Frie Udstilling 2026 - 02.05.26 — 07.06.26:Vienna–Copenhagen. Den Frie Exhibition 2026 is a major group exhibition in which Den Frie Exhibition invites its sister institution, the Wiener Secession, as guest exhibitors. Bringing together more than 45 Danish artists in dialogue with 125 Austrian artists, the exhibition highlights artist‑run exhibition communities, their historical foundations, and their renewed relevance in a contemporary context marked by growing interest in collective and self‑organized art practices.
North Atlantic House is an art center where you can encounter North Atlantic art and culture. Here, people and artists from Iceland, Greenland, The Faroe Islands, Denmark - and the rest of the world - meet and inspire one another.A visit to North Atlantic House is guaranteed to expand your horizon and stir your senses. You will find two exhibition rooms in which you can get a taste of North Atlantic culture through changing exhibitions that shed light on the art scene of each of the three countries, one at a time.Furthermore, on specific days and evenings, you can experience everything from concerts, movies, presentations and events.Explore North Atlantic art and culture in the beautiful 18th-century warehouse built in 1767. North Atlantic House was the port for maritime traffic between Denmark and the North Atlantic for over 200 years.
Special Exhibitions (nordatlantens.dk):Nordic foodVisit the cultural centre to get a first-hand impression of this intriguing harbour front area. The North Atlantic House is open all year round and offers a lovely café where you can enjoy a good glass of wine or a cup of coffee.On the Nordatlantens Brygge Harbour Front you will find the Faroese and Greenlandic Representations, the Icelandic Embassy, and the culinary treasures of Restaurant Barr.
Cisternerne is an exhibition space for contemporary art, defined by echoing acoustics, high humidity, and the constant sound of dripping water. Prepare yourself for a truly unique underground experience. Descend below ground and immerse yourself in a magical, fully sensory world featuring internationally acclaimed art.As the cold, damp climate of Cisternerne envelops you, you don’t simply observe the artworks —you are completely surrounded by them. The former water reservoir is dimly lit, and its atmospheric setting evokes both fascination and enchantment in visitors of all ages.Each year, Cisternerne invites an artist to create a site-specific installation for its 4,400 square meters. Here, humidity approaches 100%, daylight never penetrates the space, reverberations can last up to 17 seconds, and temperatures range between 4 and 16°C. Marina Abramović: Seven Deaths - March 14th – November 30th 2026In 2026, Cisternerne presents world-renowned performance artist Marina Abramović’s immersive film installation Seven Deaths, transforming the dark subterranean reservoir into a total, operatic experience.Drawing on seven iconic female roles from the history of opera, Abramović stages death as a poetic and visual drama. Set to arias performed by the legendary opera diva Maria Callas, a rich visual narrative unfolds, with Abramović herself in the leading role alongside Hollywood actor Willem Dafoe.Seven Deaths is an intense and deeply moving exploration of the fundamental conditions of human existence—a compelling meditation on love and loss, life and death, longing and suffering.
Opening Hours
21.05.2026 - 23.12.2026:Monday: closed
Tuesday: 10:00 - 17:00
Wednesday: 10:00 - 17:00
Thursday: 10:00 - 20:00
Friday: 10:00 - 17:00
Saturday: 10:00 - 17:00
Sunday: 10:00 - 17:00
Location
Gl. Strand 48
1202 København K
Café