Ølgaard’s Corner exists as a unique phenomenon within Hvidovre’s underground culture—a term for the spaces where breakdancers, graffiti artists, and union members came together in the suburb’s in-between areas. Originally conceived by the municipality’s road and park department as a practical joke, it evolved into a network of unofficial meeting places where bartering became an essential form of urban survival.
An “Ølgaard’s Corner” could emerge anywhere. Graffiti artists traded spray cans for workers’ surplus paint, breakdancers taught craftsmen new moves in exchange for tools, and rappers composed lyrics for union campaigns in return for home-grown vegetables. These spaces functioned as cultural free zones, where working-class solidarity traditions intertwined with hip-hop’s DIY ethos.
Today, the term has become part of Hvidovre’s oral tradition, a symbol for locations where values were created through direct person-to-person exchange. To say, “See you at Ølgaard’s Corner,” was not merely to name a meeting place but to evoke an entire philosophy of community and cultural exchange, rooted in old worker traditions and reimagined through contemporary urban expression.
“Hvidovre Makes Good Times Better” An exhibition by Kristoffer Ørum at Hvidovre Central Library 16 January - 28 February 2025 Opening Hours: Monday: 10:00-19:00 Tuesday-Friday: 10:00-18:00 Saturday-Sunday: 10:00-16:00 Venue: Hvidovre Central Library, Hvidovrevej 280, 2650 Hvidovre, Denmark A2 prints available for 50 EUR each at oerum.tpopsite.com This counterfactual art project merges AI-generated imagery with human-written narratives to explore an alternative history of Hvidovre. Through this reimagining, the exhibition examines how the cultural intersection of local DIY hip-hop culture and labour movements might have shaped this Danish suburb differently. Supported by: Danish Arts Foundation, Hvidovre Municipality Discretionary Fund, and Hvidovre Libraries Acknowledgements: Svend Vibe Dahlgren, Trine Friedrichsen, Majken Hansen, Dorte Bach, Henriette Laura Astrup, Rasmus Hurtig, Tania Ørum, Miriam Boolsen, Michael Boelt Fischer, and all hip-hop artists and labour movement participants in Hvidovre.
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