Receive free Things to do in Copenhagen updates
We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Things to do in Copenhagen news every morning.
This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Copenhagen
A warm summer morning calls for an early tennis game before I bike to our office at Kunsthal Charlottenborg, in the heart of Copenhagen. One place where I would love to play one day is at the Danish Tennis Club in the suburb of Hellerup, to the north of the centre. It was founded in 1922 by the tennis player Leif Rovsing and is decorated with beautiful wall paintings inspired by Egypt and Bali.
On my way to Charlottenborg, I pass by chef Frederik Bille Brahe’s Atelier September on Strandvejen in Hellerup for a flat white and a yoghurt with granola and zucchini jam while I check my emails. The atmosphere here is always relaxed and cosy, even when there’s a busy morning vibe.
Copenhagen carries a strong architectural legacy that has always interested me. The city has been selected by Unesco as the 2023 World Capital of Architecture, so this makes me even more aware of remarkable buildings such as Vilhelm Lauritzen’s Radio House in Frederiksberg. I’ve followed the development of a recent artistic intervention inside this historic building (where they also hold a variety of concerts) by two visual artists: Ebbe Stub Wittrup and Jonas Handskemager. For this project, they used a camera obscura to reflect light from the rooftop down into the rehearsal rooms inside the building, as well as relaying sound from those rooms up to the hidden garden on the roof.
Just a block away from Charlottenborg you will find Store Strandstræde, a cosy street with boutiques, where my favourite sustainable brand Kinraden has its showroom, decorated with Danish design and contemporary art. Kinraden produces beautiful, ethical jewellery, handmade with pure recycled gold and silver, by the Danish designer and architect Sarah Müllertz. It strikes just the right balance between being elegant, minimalistic and sustainable. When purchasing new jewellery or works of art, I aim to support the local scene and the most sustainable producers.
CHART is a Nordic art fair representing only galleries from the Nordic region. I strive to see as many of the Copenhagen-based galleries’ shows as possible. Tonight, I’m visiting two of our spaces: Palace Enterprise and Galleri Bo Bjerggaard.
Palace Enterprise is located in a 1950s modernist building right next to the Tivoli Gardens. Even if you pass by after hours, you can still get an overview of the exhibition space from the street, so in a way it is always open. The gallery highlights artists across borders and generations who work in a range of different media such as digital animation, conceptual sculpture and large-scale installations.
In the Meatpacking District (Kødbyen), you will find several galleries including V1, Eighteen, Gether Contemporary and Galleri Bo Bjerggaard. The latter was one of the five founding galleries of CHART back in 2013 and helped turn the neighbourhood into one of the most vibrant places for contemporary art in the city. Galleri Bo Bjerggaard represents established international artists as well as having a core focus on the most important Danish painters of the current and recent generations. One of these artists is, of course, Tal R. This evening I am heading out to experience his upcoming solo exhibition at the gallery, which will open on August 23.
My day ends with a dinner that is deeply rooted in a love for Japanese cuisine at Gaijin, an informal restaurant experience in Ravnsborggade, near the lakes. I always go for the tasting menu as it varies by season and provides everything from the finest cut of tuna belly to oysters and kakigori made using Danish rhubarb.
When the weekend kicks in, I’m off for a day trip to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, about 35km north of Copenhagen, to experience the Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s current solo show Epic Waste of Love and Understanding. He is one of the most significant voices in the contemporary-art world and takes both a loving and critical look at our culture. Spending a day at Louisiana surrounded by art, and ending with a swim in the sea next to the boathouse, makes for the perfect weekend.
CHART Nordic art fair runs from August 25—27 (Directions)
Share your Copenhagen highlights in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter
Cities with the FT
FT Globetrotter, our insider guides to some of the world’s greatest cities, offers expert advice on eating and drinking, exercise, art and culture — and much more
Find us in Copenhagen, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York, Paris, Rome, Frankfurt, Singapore, Miami, Toronto, Madrid, Melbourne and Zürich
