This summer the Glyptotek will open its biggest ever contemporary art venture.

The Glyptotek and Copenhagen Contemporary (CC) are collaborating to present the first-ever exhibition in Scandinavia devoted to the work of the artist Abbas Akhavan (b. 1977 in Tehran. Lives and works in Montreal). Based on the Glyptotek’s collections of antiquities from the Middle East, Akhavan will create an exhibition that will be presented in both institutions – gracing both the raw industrial halls of CC and the historic architecture of the Glyptotek.

About the artist

In his work, Akhavan tackles complex geopolitical narratives. His works range from site-specific installations and performance to drawing, sculpture and video. In his highly alluring, tactile works, Akhavan studies displacements of objects and experiences, investigating historical, architectural and social structures that are associated with a particular area or place.

Unique collaboration

The exhibition will be the first in a series presented jointly by CC and the Glyptotek. The idea is for international contemporary art to shed new light on the cultural heritage of antiquity and its significance today.

In the course of the next three years the two institutions will present three solo exhibitions, featuring work by three international artists who live either in the Middle East or in Middle Eastern diasporas. In addition, in collaboration with curators from both institutions, the artists will be granted access to the Glyptotek’s Middle Eastern antiquity collection, discussing and interpreting the significance of cultural heritage today in the light of their own works.

Thank you for the generous support to:

Det Obelske Familiefond

Foto: Curtain call, variations on a folly (2021). Installation view. Commissioned and produced by Chisenhale Gallery, London. Courtesy of the artist (Abbas Akhavan), The Third Line & Catriona Jeffries. Photo: Andy Keate.