HIMMELGÅDER

Friday I packed my bags and sprung on a train for Lolland to visit the exhibition "Himmelgåder" ("Sky Riddles") at Fuglsang Kunstmuseum with my friend and former coworker Engel. The exhibition centered around outerspace and the way it's been perceived by art throughort history. I read about it in a newspaper several months ago while I was at away on folk high school and now with the last day of the exhibition just around the corner (today!) I finally got myself on a train to Nykøbing F.

From Nykøbing we took a bus and then somehow managed to get off one stop too soon. Which in Copenhagen wouldn't have been an issue, but here it meant walking about 3-4 kilometres in nearly stormy weather! Luckily both of us were in good spirits (we even went and knocked a stranger's door to ask for directions - he seemed quite unprepared for visitors). None of us had had breakfast so when we finally got to a sign announcing with a coffee-cup that the museum cafeteria was getting closer we found ourselves quite relieved.

As soon as we got our coats off it was time for breakfast. The cafeteria was nothing fancy compared to normal museum cafés but the waitress was very nice, the coffee was cheap and you could choose between a number of dishes, cakes, wines and coffee drinks at a midrange price level. I of course had to order pancakes from the dessert menu and a cup of coffee. Engel went with a curry soup.

 

Then we went to get some tickets which were 70 DKK - no student discount. A little pricey considering the money I'd already spent on the train - I imagine a lot of people travel far to come here. I'd like something cheaper next time if I'm to visit again.

 

 

As you can see here the museum was quite big and modern-looking even though it was in the middle of a field. The sculptures here are a part of the permanent display.

The Himmelgåder exhibition took up about half the space in Fuglsang (most of the rooms to the left and the hall) and really put it to good use. The walls very crammed with art. Since the theme wasn't either an artist or a period in art history you got a very mixed exhibition of classical, whimsical, weird, kitsch, naive and daring art pieces. In addition Fuglsang had compiled a playlist of  space themed music (ranging from classical to Muse) discreetly setting the mood, added video screens playing sequences from old science fiction movies and asked an astrophysics professor to comment on the phenomenons portrayed in parts of the exhibition. Everything felt very fresh and modern, yet not cold and soulless. There was a little problem with the light a few places at the museum - it would be pointing at a painting from the wrong angle making it harder to focus on the details in close-up. Nothing terrible, but something that they could easily get fixed.

 

 

This used to belong to Heiberg!

         There is something really cool about this painting. I admire an artist who can paint something like this and just be like: "Fuck yeah! I think that went well!

 

 

As you can see I snapped all of these photos with an iPad! I don't own a real camera, unfortunately.

 

And finally! The SPACE CLOGS.

Phew that was a lot of photos. But I figured, since the exhibition ends today, that I wanted to share some of it since no-one reading this will have a chance to see it for themselves. I'm sorry for the lack of artist names. It would have taken too long to write them all down.

Evidently a lot of disabled people visit Fuglsang...

Text for a piece displaying a big photograph of a star gathering that then in the corner had an overhead with a monk scotch-taped on - So weird and hilarious!

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Himmelgåder @ Fuglsang Kunstmuseum, Lolland 24/02-12 
Pictures by me, © Fuglsang Kunstmuseum