Copenhagen: Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center

As an art lover, I couldn’t resist going into an art gallery, which used to be a church!

If there’s one type of museum/exhibition I’m going to go to, it’s a contemporary art exhibition, especially ones with art from local artists or artists from around the area. I have to admit, I didn’t do my research as thoroughly and instead of deciding what sites I wanted to see, I did it based on what streets I wanted to explore while getting to my destination of the day. As I wandered into a small street, I saw a bright blue sign outside something that looked like a church building.

As a traveler on a tight budget, it’s hard deciding what I want to pay to see and since Copenhagen is not the cheapest place on earth, I hesitated to go in. Afterall, I have been to many contemporary art museums that in the end turn out mediocre. I couldn’t just turn around without checking it out (at least the price) so I walked in the front door and saw an eye-catching sign that said “I’m not a church” and had to keep walking in.

I went up to the information desk where a polite gentleman (who am I kidding? EVERYONE I’ve met in Denmark has been super polite and friendly) explained to me that the price was 20 DKK, cheaper than a cup of coffee. SOLD. I paid the gentleman and went through a door behind him (it was literally a handle on a wall and I couldn’t tell what the door was but something opened and I went inside into a dark hallway and freaked out a little. I peaked around and turned to a room pitch dark full of different screens playing.

Basically, the gallery, which had three separate floors and different rooms spread out were mostly pitch black dark or just dark and had screens of various sizes playing artwork from many local artists. I especially loved the way they were arranged. There were different types of seats all suitable for the particular piece you are viewing. Some were projected on the wall, some on TV screens and some on the floor! You could sit on cushions, chairs or even stand up to watch. Some of them had sounds projected loudly while most had headphones you could put on.

Overall, I loved my experience at the Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center. I loved taking a break from walking and ended up spending a little over an hour watching different pieces. I could’ve spent hours at the place. I loved that it wasn’t too crowded and there were many times where I was watching the pieces myself. Honestly though, it was a little eerie at times since the pieces are not the happiest to watch and being in the dark alone scares me. I definitely enjoyed the artwork and the space though – it was an experience and I’ll definitely recommend it!
Contemporary art is a great way to experience the creative scene in a city. I know not everyone is a fan of contemporary art – there have definitely been times where I was not completely enthusiastic but if you love art, it’ll definitely worth it. It also gives you a weird but cool feeling because…well, it looks like a church but has weird art in it (to put it simply).