In the spring of 2025 Copenhagen Cultural District offers a range of exciting exhibitions for the whole family. Whether you’re into art, architecture, or history, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Visit exhibitions like “Nanna Ditzel: Breaking Free” at Danish Architecture Center, “Breaking Darkness” at Nikolaj Kunsthal, or “Just Kids” at Gammel Strand, and share the experience with your loved ones. Explore and be captivated by the many exciting experiences of the season in the cultural heart of Copenhagen!
Just Kids
Children are more present than ever—within families, in public debates, and in discussions between generations. However, our perception of children and their role in society has changed significantly over the past few decades. The contrast is striking between the free-spirited “flower children” of the hippie era, the troubled youth of the 1980s exemplified by Christiane F., and Greta Thunberg’s climate strike movement. Under the title Just Kids, Gammel Strand kicks off its exhibition year with an experimental, generational perspective on children in visual art. Focusing on children as both subject and theme, Just Kids explores how our view of childhood has evolved over time and highlights how innocence, creativity, and innovation have been closely linked to the very myth of the artist.
Where: Gammel Strand, Gammel Strand 48, 1202 Copenhagen
When: 30. Janurary- 4. May 2025
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Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
You probably know the feeling of sitting in the city, watching people pass by. Maybe you make up stories, imagining who they are and where they’re going. From 2004 to 2017, artist Peter Funch lived in New York City. Every day, he spent hours capturing the daily rhythms and random encounters of thousands of people in the city. This effort resulted in two photo series, Babel Tales and 42nd and Vanderbilt, which you can experience in the weekend exhibition Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. Each series, in its own way, reveals how we, as individuals, become part of a larger, collective presence in public spaces.
The exhibition is on show in The Hall and is open during weekends and weekdays when The Hall is not in use for events etc.
Where: Danish Architecture Center, Bryghusgade 10, 1473 Copenhagen
When: 28. Februrary 2025 – 28. Februrary 2026
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FRIHED
This exhibition focuses on ideas of liberty and examines both personal and structural aspects of freedom. FREEDOM has eight sections on, among others, free countries and symbols of freedom, freedom of norms and freedom of religion, all based on Thorvaldsen’s time, art and collections. While in the exhibtion, visitors are encouraged to assess whether the thoughts and dilemmas of Thorvaldsen’s time are still relevant today, and whether freedom has any downsides?
Hvor: Thorvaldsens Museum, Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads 2, 1213 København K
Hvornår: 26. februar 2025 – 15. juni 2025
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PLATFORM 1:6
The first Platform exhibition of the year is presented by Ville Laurinkoski, who in ‘Le Gay Voyage’ explores seemingly distinct components of a single unified composition. Themes such as liberation, mobility, and the aesthetics of production are evident throughout the exhibition, which turns the workings of capitalism’s production inside out, revealing both spatial and affective traces of the past. The exhibition, curated by Fafaya Mogensen, will be on view at Nikolaj Kunsthal from 8 February to 23 March.
Where: Nikolaj Kunsthal, Nikolaj Plads 10, 1067 Copenhagen
When: 7. February- 23. March 2025
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Might & Magic
The history of Danish witchcraft is a tangle of myths and mysteries. Three women acused of witchcraft, Maren Splids, Christenze Kruckow and Maren Ringsbjerg, will finally be given a voice in this exhibition. Leading female actors lend their voices to a captivating audio track relating the fates of the three women in interactions with stunning set design.
Join us on a journey back to the Renaissance, deep into in the dark ruins beneath Christiansborg Castle, where we’ll tell you what really happened, in the place where it happened. You’ll meet three women from some of Denmark’s most famous witch trials. Sense the lingering echoes of that bygone era, palpable in the very air around you. Trace the fates of these women as their threads of fate weave their way through the scenography, criss-crossing the ruins and spinning a gripping visualisation of their lives. Have a go at performing magic with engaging interactive elements. Try predicting the future in lead, measuring with threads of fate, using crystals to strengthen the mind and body, and get inspiration on how to make and use a wax child – the Nordic answer to voodoo dolls.
Where: The Ruins beneath Christiansborg Palace, Indre Slotsgård, Christiansborg Slot, 1218 Copenhagen
When: 27. September 2024 – 27. April 2025
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Lene Adler Petersen – Space and Things
Lene Adler Petersen has been one of the most significant figures in Danish contemporary art since the late 1960s. Her multi-stranded artistry spans actions, painting, drawing, sound, graphics, ceramics, text, books, film and photography. Space and Things provide an unprecedented look into Adler Petersen’s impressive work and dive into her pioneering career from the late 1960s onwards, focusing on her experimental work with photography, film and text and highlighting key works such as Diary from Eks-skolen’s print shop (1974), Opsatser (1980) and the iconic collaboration with Bjørn Nørgaard on The Female Christ (1969).
Where: The Black Diamond – The Royal Library, Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1, 1221 Copenhagen
Hvornår: 21. Februrary – 10. May 2025
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Nanna Ditzel: Breaking Free
Nanna Ditzel (1923-2005) was a pioneer of Danish design, known for her innovative approach by which she created furniture to liberate the body. This exhibition presents some of Ditzel’s most iconic designs. Designs that challenge our ideas of traditional furniture and let us discover new ways of experiencing the body and spending time together.
Where: Danish Architecture Center, Bryghusgade 10, 1473 Copenhagen
When: 24. Janurary- 11. May 2025
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Breaking Darkness
This exhibition, is a tribute to Lars von Trier’s significant artistic contributions and presents his distinctive universe in a new light. It offers both hardcore fans and curious newcomers the chance to engage with his works in an alternative context. Breaking Darkness unfolds Lars von Trier’s universe through five site-specific installations spread across all of the kunsthal’s galleries, including the iconic Nikolaj Tower. By integrating the historic church spaces, with stylistic nods to Gothic and Baroque architecture, von Trier’s works are placed in a distinctive artistic context that provides a physical and tactile encounter with the filmmaker’s aesthetics and imagery.
Where: Nikolaj Kunsthal, Nikolaj Plads 10, 1067 Copenhagen
When: 8. Februrary – 27. July 2025
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A MILLION RABBIT HOLES
A MILLION RABBIT HOLES is a total installation reflecting the feverish atmosphere leading up to the U.S. election and the polarization the country is undergoing. Rirkrit Tiravanija is one of the most influential contemporary artists and a pioneer in participatory contemporary art. His works highlight the connections that unite us across differences — an ever more relevant theme in a time marked by disinformation, alternative truths, and echo chambers. In this piece, you step into a total installation, drawn from a forestry setting in Upstate New York, subtly addressing the intense polarization the U.S. is currently experiencing.
Where: Gammel Strand, Gammel Strand 48, 1202 Copenhagen
When: 30. Janurary – 4. May 2025
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Recycle!
The construction industry alone accounts for 30% of Denmark’s annual waste – and only 4% is recycled. This exhibition explores how beauty and reuse go hand in hand to build a sustainable future. Be inspired by projects that transform the used and discarded into something both beautiful and functional. From preserving and repurposing existing buildings to recycling construction materials and adopting new building techniques that respect the planet’s resources. Discover architecture that values what already exists – the beauty of weathered bricks, the soul of old building elements, and a fresh approach to sustainability where waste becomes a resource.
Where: Danish Architecture Center, Bryghusgade 10, 1473 Copenhagen
When: 24. January- 11. May 2025
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PLATFORM 2:6
Behind this year’s second Platform exhibition is Gustav Hooge Poulsen, who has created a series of sculptures and finger puppets that, arranged in tableaux, unfold a series of scenes. The different textures of the materials interact with the body to create narratives that reflect both the control of the hand and the resistance of the material. The exhibition, titled Like “Decorating a Christmas Tree”, was created in collaboration with curator Frederik Rørmann Saxton.
Where: Nikolaj Kunsthal, Nikolaj Plads 10, 1067 Copenhagen
Hvornår: 4. April – 9. June 2025
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Learn about drones and and their impact on modern warfare
Discover the role of drones and their impact on modern warfare in this new spotlight exhibition at the Danish War Museum. Dive into the history of drones and explore how they are shaping current and future conflicts. While drones or unmanned vehicles might seem like a modern innovation, they have been used since the 1800s in various forms to surprise and intimidate enemies. Today, drones are an invaluable part of warfare in hotspots like Ukraine, where they are extensively employed by both sides.
Where: Danish War Museum, Tøjhusgade 3, 1220 København K
When: 19. November 2024 – 19. November 2025
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