It’s been quite the week! Kelsey knows that I enjoy modern art and she happened to get a recommendation from one of the surgeons she works with for a unique hotel associated with a well known sculpture park in Skåne County, Sweden. So last Wednesday, the four of us headed off in a rental car over the Øresund bridge to the Wanås (pronounced Vanoos) Art Hotel about 2 hours from Copenhagen. The property is private and the owners live in the castle, rebuilt in 1556 after the medieval version burned down. The sculpture park is the largest in Sweden and has been in existence since 1987 but the 11-room hotel and farm to table restaurant (the property also boasts a farm with 1000 cows) were added in 2017 in two historical 18th century buildings.
We spent one night in the tasteful and well appointed hotel and had a delicious dinner at the restaurant. The next morning, Kelsey and Garet saw the owners playing tennis on their private court next to their castle. The trip was a great decision as the hotel, the restaurant, and the sculpture park were all very special. It was extremely fun exploring the 80 permanent site-specific artworks by international artists, which took us about 4 hours wandering through the beech forest behind the estate as well as in barns and other out buildings. Kelsey and Garet were particularly enamored of all the sculptures that invited viewer involvement via climbing or making noise.
One of my favorite pieces was a sound sculpture (therefore, no photo) by Swedish artist Marianne Lindberg De Geer called “I am Thinking About Myself” that involves children’s voices in the woods calling “mama” or “daddy” as if they are lost. I had read a review of Wanås in which the writer said that the voices gave her chills up and down her spine and it had the exact same effect on me, even though I knew what it was. Incredibly eerie and effective.
Many of the sculptures were performance pieces when they were installed, meaning the artist did some sort of performance that was associated with the piece. The curator then chose which pieces would remain in the park and become permanent.
In front of “The Wild Boar” by South African artist Hannelie Coetzee
John walking near a giant red ball, part of “Double Dribble,” by Swedish artist Anne Thulin
who used his own body as a model
After leaving Wanås on Thursday, we headed to Helsingbord where we took the 20 minute ferry ride back to Denmark and from there drove a short distance to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art overlooking the Øresund, the strait between the two countries. Louisiana, as anyone who has been to Denmark likely knows, is the premier modern art museum in Scandinavia and is a gorgeous destination. Unbeknownst to us, it was “Ascension Day,” a holiday (“something to do with Jesus Christ” our waitress informed us at the Louisiana cafe), in both Denmark and Sweden so the place was mobbed but we persevered.
The featured artist right now is, ironically, LA based Robert Longo who creates large-scale, hyperrealistic black and white pieces out of charcoal. His work is quite intense, often implying a political commentary. We were all impressed with his work. The piece below, “End of Empire” shows several cadets folding an American flag. This “can be interpreted as a commentary on the shifting geopolitical landscape and the decline of traditional power structures.” It’s not hard to guess which power in particular he may be referring to. Sigh!
“End of Empire,” a giant (96″ x 115″) charcoal drawing (not a photograph) by Robert Longo
Finally, back in town, the Copenhagen Street Art Festival 2025 was this weekend at Reffen, a huge, somewhat scruffy but quite active, outdoor food court with many bars and beer gardens at an old industrial island that has been transformed into a popular destination. The festival featured 14 graffiti artists who gave workshops and created new art in real time, along with live music and DJ’s who created the soundtrack. We had dinner there last night, Kelsey and Garet’s final evening in Copenhagen, and wandered through watching some of the artist ply their craft.
It was a fantastic week of modern art and Kelsey and Garet also spent time visiting several gardens in the city as they are fans of the outdoors (and less so of concrete and urban settings, it turns out). Rhododendrons are in full bloom right now, reminding us that flowers are still some of the best art there is.
April –
I am intrigued by the use of the term “graffiti” when you say “The festival featured 14 graffiti artists” All but one (the one on the stacked cargo containers) of the art pieces you included seem more like murals to me than like graffiti. Seems that the usual use of the term “graffiti” involves unauthorized markings on walls & surfaces in public places. I have an artist friend who paints murals – so my first thought was that I would call it a mural exhibit. Interesting that they would call it a graffiti festival!
So fun to share your trip with you – nice that two of the “children” got to join you two for part of the trip!
Becki
I agree, it does seem that they are using the term a bit loosely. To be fair, they call them “street art artists” but then they say there will be 4 days of graffiti (it ran from Thursday through Sunday). Maybe “graffiti” is seen as a bit edgier than “murals” so better for marketing to the younger set.
Wow! Thank you for this wonderful post and photos of some of the works . . . would love to repeat the experience in person! I thought it was fun to start with the sculpture garden at Wanås, then on to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and wind up at the Street Art Festival – all so inspiring!
wow, sounds like a fantastic week with Kelsey and Garrett. The castle in particular sounds so cool. Wish I could’ve been in your suitcase for this part of your trip.