Skovhuset's new profile

Skovhuset Art & Nature is an independent art space and centre for cultural activities. Skovhuset (the Forest House) is located in a forest by Søndersø Lake in Værløse, not far from Copenhagen. Skovhuset has been an art space since 1977, when a group of local art enthusiasts supported by the local council took over a large, empty family summer house from 1923 and the forest surrounding it. The house and forest have been dedicated to indoor and outdoor exhibitions and events ever since.

SKOVHUSET’S NEW PROFILE
Our 2021 programme launches Skovhuset’s new exhibition profile. Through a series of world-class exhibitions and a programme of tailored activities and events we aim to put Skovhuset on the map as a creative hub specialising in and nurturing interaction between art and nature in order to increase awareness of the current state of the environment on which our lives depend. Skovhuset’s goal is to become a powerful, art-based voice in contemporary debates on nature, the environment, and climate change.

Our work is based on the view that nature, art, culture and human life are inextricably linked. Nature and culture are not diametrical opposites, but part of the same ecosystem. Art often shares this holistic thinking, focusing in different ways on the permeable boundaries between the aesthetic, organic and ecological, as well as between politics, economics and ethics. The COVID-19 pandemic and the far-reaching global consequences of the transfer of viruses from animals to humans has served to confirm the extent to which nature and culture are interconnected and interdependent, acceptance of which is key to re-establishing balance and finding solutions to the challenges we all face.

EXHIBITIONS
The 2021 programme consists of four group exhibitions, with activities and events accompanying each exhibition. The programme embraces key themes in the field of art and nature, and the ways different artists view and address the interaction between the two in contemporary life and society.

Exploring Nature / Langt ude I Skoven (21.4. 2021 – 13.6. 2021)
The first exhibition of 2021 explores nature through the works of eight contemporary artists. Through the curiosity and tenacity of artists’ investigations we encounter the manifold phenomena of the complex nature surrounding us.

Artists: Rune Bosse, Stefanie Bühler, Marjolijn Dijkman & Toril Johannessen, Tue Greenfort, Sanna Kannisto, Anders Moseholm and Marika Seidler.

Cultivated Landscapes and Wild Gardens / Frejas Sal (26.6. 2021 – 29.8. 2021)
The nature we experience and know from art is often formed by humans and the ways we process and use it. The relationship between the natural and the wild, and the artificial and adapted – between nature and culture – is a constant factor. The relationship between utilising, exploiting and aestheticizing nature and imagining a more authentic and primeval nature is a focus for many contemporary artists, as well as for gardening enthusiasts and nature lovers.

Artists: Hans Op de Beeck, Camilla Berner, Gerda Steiner & Jörg Lenzlinger, Søren Martinsen, Randi & Katrine, Luzia Simons og Hartmut Stockter.

Nature and Art as a Refuge and Realm for Reflection / I Skovens Dybe Stille Ro (11.9.2021 – 7.11. 2021)
For many, experiencing the silence and grandeur of nature represents a refuge from stress and worry and the space to reflect and connect with something beyond the routine and rationality of everyday life. Many artists work with the poetic, healing and meditative effects of nature, using traditional art forms as well as more subtle approaches including sound art, art walks and land art.

Artists: Marianne Grønnow, Annette Holdensen/Jette Mellgren, Eva Koch, Susan Philipsz, Britt Smelvær and herman de vries.

Safeguarding Our Nature and Climate / Naturen, det billige skidt (20.11. 2021 – 30.1 2022)
The need to protect our nature and planet has become increasingly urgent, and awareness of the need for sustainability and environmental protection in the light of the alarming rate of climate change and environmental destruction is on the rise. This is a field in which many artists have been pioneers, and is more essential than ever if we are to engage and take action.

Artists: Bigert & Bergström, Jesper Dalgaard, Olafur Eliasson, Ilkka Halso, Pipilotti Rist and Andreas Schulenburg.

A visit to Skovhuset is ideally combined with a tour by foot or bicycle around the beautiful Søndersø lake.

Welcome!

Translation: Jane Rowley

Skovhuset is supported by Furesø Kommune, The Danish Arts Foundation, Beckett-Fonden, Knud Højgaards Fond og Lemvigh-Müller Fonden.