How would you curate the history of Kunsthal Charlottenborg?

OPEN CALL: In 2023, Kunsthal Charlottenborg will celebrate its 140th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Kunsthal Charlottenborg now launch a competition to find the right curator(s) to arrange an upcoming exhibition that will tell the story and history of the exhibition building.

Ever since Kunsthal Charlottenborg was completed in 1883, some of the most important and innovative artists from Denmark and abroad have exhibited their work there: from Anna Ancher to Ai Weiwei, from Edvard Munch to Marina Abramovic. We now want to showcase this long history while including examples of both the well-known and lesser-known artists who have left their mark on the place.

Kunsthal Charlottenborg has always had a special connection to the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts’ School of Visual Arts, with which we share our adress. Charlottenborg is described by many as the wellspring of Danish art: most Danish artists who have carved out a place for themselves in art history have either attended the academy at Charlottenborg or exhibited at the Kunsthal at an early stage of their career.

The Director of Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Michael Thouber, says:

We have long wanted to write Kunsthal Charlottenborg’s history by presenting an ambitious, large-scale show that features important episodes and segments from the venue’s exhibition programme while also writing or rewriting the institution’s history in a way that includes the obvious highlights while at the same time foregrounding some of the artists and events that have not yet found their way into the annals of official art history.

Therefore, we are looking for the right curator or curator group to create an exhibition concept that will add nuance to the narrative and history of Kunsthal Charlottenborg while also functioning as a significant exhibition in its own right in 2023/24.

Open Call
Send us a description of your exhibition concept (max 2 pages) and a CV for the curator or curators involved no later than 15 March 2022 at 12.00. SUBMIT APPLICATION HERE.

The exhibition concept must contain a clear and concisely described exhibition idea, examples of artists featured in the show, and a short presentation on how you intend to research and unfold your version of Kunsthal Charlottenborg’s history.

A jury of art professionals will assess all submissions in confidence. In their efforts to select the best ideas, the jury will focus on the visionary qualities of the exhibition concept, on the intended method of research and on how the concept ensures a contemporary framing and presentation of Kunsthal Charlottenborg’s 140-year history.

Two of the submissions received will be selected for a qualifying round where the participants each receive DKK 25,000 towards further developing their ideas. During the qualifying round, the curators will also be requested to draw up a realistic budget, and Kunsthal Charlottenborg will provide conference facilities and financial advice if needed. After the qualifying round, the jury will provide feedback to both participants and announce the final winner.

About the exhibition
The winner will have access to collaborating with Kunsthal Charlottenborg’s staff and a budget of a total of DKK 1.5 million to realise the exhibition. The institution will support the project in the same manner as all other exhibitions created by external curators, and the winner will also have access to help with communication and dissemination activities in the process of realising and presenting the exhibition.

The exhibition will open in the South Wing of Kunsthal Charlottenborg in September 2023 to coincide with the institution’s 140th anniversary. It will run until January 2024. The exhibition follows in the footsteps of other major themed exhibitions in the venue’s South Wing such as The World is in You (2021), Witch Hunt (2020), Art & Porn (2019), Big Art (2018) and Ovartaci & the Art of Madness (2017).

For further information and to resolve any questions, please contact director Michael Thouber on +45 28 40 80 50 or Project Manager & Programme Manager for Charlottenborg Art Cinema Anne Mikél Jensen on +45 33 74 46 31 / annemj@kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk

We look forward to hearing from you!