NOW HERE, THEN THERE: PART 1, spotlight on Kirsten Ortwed
Susanne began working with Kirsten Ortwed in the early "80s, exhibiting wax and polyurethane sculptures by the artist in the gallery's Store Kongensgade premises through the years. The artist, ever experimental with her choice of materials, has always sought to find new ways to approach sculpture.
When the gallery relocated to Gothersgade in 1989, Ortwed was one of the first artists to present a show in the space; a duo exhibtion of new works with Rosemarie Trockel which opened on 14 September 1990.
A solo show by Kirsten Ortwed was among the first at the newly opened DCA Gallery in New York in 1995 (a venture spearheaded by Susanne with 5 of her Copenhagen colleagues. They would run the space for over 10 years). Susanne recalls installing the exhibition alongside the artist late into the evening, causing stress for the gallery's Director, Miles, who was anxious that they wouldn't be ready to open as planned the following day. His fears came true when he returned in the morning to find no works installed in the space, instead - two empty glasses and one empty bottle of whiskey! The two share a love of hard liquor.
Susanne also presented Ortwed at international art fairs including, on a number of occasions, Art Cologne - then the European epicentre of Contemporary Art - where the artist lived for many years.
Pictured here, Kirsten Ortwed in our 1990 Art Cologne booth where she featured alongside Per Kirkeby, Bjørn Nørgaard, A. R. Penck and Troels Wörsel!
Two of Ortwed's wax works from 1990 and a polyurethane wall-sculpture from 1983 is featured in Part 1 of our anniversary exhibition, 'NOW HERE, THEN THERE'.
Martin Erik Andersen, Pernille With Madsen, Bjørn Nørgaard, Kirsten Ortwed, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, 22 Apr - 28 May 2023
We are delighted to share that four gallery artists, Martin Erik Andersen, Pernille With Madsen, and Bjørn Nørgaard are participating at this year's Den Frie exhibition in Copenhagen. The historically important group exhibition brings together works by the members of Denmark's oldest artists' association and surveys contemporary tendencies in Danish art annually. Learn more about this year's edition, titled Free Hands, by clicking here. Captured here is an installation view from the show, with Bjørn Nørgaard's monumental sculpture The Burghers of Calais (1985/2022), to the right. Photo: David Stjernholm
Kirsten Ortwed, Lawrence Weiner, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, 22 Jun - 14 Aug 2022
Yesterday Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art opened the spectacular exhibition Gogo, presenting a broad selection of works by Danish artist Kirsten Ortwed, German artist Rosemarie Trockel, and late American artist Lawrence Weiner. Gogo is the first-ever exhibition to showcase works by these three artists together, but one can find different connection points in their practices. Among others, Ortwed and Trockel made an exhibition together at Galleri Susanne Ottesen in 1990 (click here for images). A detail of their jointly-made multiple piece Blue Box (1990) from the 1990 show is currently on view at Gogo, and is also captured here. For more information about the exhibition, click here. Photo: David Stjernholm
Kirsten Ortwed, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, 4 Mar -21 Aug 2022
We are delighted to highlight that work by gallery artist Kirsten Ortwed is also featured in the temporary exhibition Marble at Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg,The group exhibition explores a history of sculpture made of this noble material across space and time. Captured here are Ortwed’s Floor to Ceiling works (2000) which are currently on display and part of the museum’s permanent collection. The cord-like structures, also reminiscent of pearls, are each comprised of different types of marble, a material that is important in the sculptor’s practice. The exhibition Marble is running through 21 August 2022. For more information about the exhibition, click here. Photo: Niels Fabæk, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg