‘Galleristen’, WeekendAvisen

In the run up to our anniversary show, Pernille Albrethsen interviewed Susanne for WeekendAvisen (in print Friday 15 September). The two look back at the origins of Galleri Sussanne Ottesen, reflect on how the art scene has changed during the last 40 years and make some predictions about what might come!

Read the full text via WeekendAvisen (Danish only), or enjoy an excerpt from the article below:

“Today, we have a real scene, the best in the Nordics in fact. And it’s a real scene because we cover all aspects. There are artist-run places, there are foundations, museums, even new art galleries. And then there are enough galleries like my own that there is also a professional, commercial scene. Going on gallery visits has become something you do. Ottesen calls it “entertainment”. ‘Although I can worry about what will happen when the wind changes and something new has to come, it’s fantastic. People would be amazed if they knew how many young people come to see our exhibitions.

On top of it all, we find ourselves in a time of conflict. The whole concept of art is disintegrating, the concept of identity and the concept of work, and the performative takes up more and more space. So maybe art is also a more interesting place than it has been for a very long time.’ So much has art become a business that museums today can hardly afford to buy contemporary art.

‘The biggest challenge of today is that you have some artists who take their work deeply seriously, yet perhaps the outside world does not. It’s a clash, one that – if we look at it in a positive light – might help to move art forward, in a new direction. Or, it just dies.'”