Leddyrsomsorg is a video piece using WAN 2.2 that imagines a future Danish healthcare system where giant blue woodlice and other arthropods have replaced AI and automation. The work will be shown at Ringsted Galleri in February 2026, with elements installed at Ringsted Sygehus. This split location is deliberate: the hospital setting places speculative images of care within the institutional architecture where care is actually administered, while the gallery provides a context for the work’s more discursive claims. The work presents a welfare state utopia, a deliberately implausible scenario that sidesteps familiar debates about technology and care. It repurposes elements of “biophilic design,” where nature is organised to support recovery. But here, the organisms we rarely extend sympathy to have taken the place of therapy dogs or verdant parks. The woodlouse (Oniscus asellus) is taxonomically distinct from the insects usually associated with infestation. Belonging to the order Isopoda within the class Malacostraca, they are terrestrial crustaceans–closer kin to lobsters than to the houseflies or wasps that typically trigger revulsion in local domestic contexts. This biological nuance matters: we tend to normalise AI while immediately reading these crustaceans as alien. The work juxtaposes the high-trust, sterile aesthetic of Danish design–typically characterised by light woods and functional minimalism–with the chitinous, prehistoric movements of Isopoda. Both AI systems and these ancient crustaceans operate on logics that remain inhuman despite our attempts to domesticate them. WAN 2.2 is a video generation model developed by Wand AI, a Chinese startup founded in 2024 by former ByteDance researchers. The model utilises a Diffusion Transformer (DiT) architecture, an approach that combines diffusion processes with transformer networks designed for temporal coherence. The physical infrastructure underpinning this model is as significant as its software. Wand AI reportedly trained the model using thousands of NVIDIA H100 GPUs. Given strict US export bans on these chips, this represents a logistical feat involving the “grey market.” While the list price of an H100 is roughly $25,000 USD, reports from early 2025 indicate that prices within China fluctuate between $40,000 and $90,000 USD per unit. The volatility tracks sanction enforcement and supply-chain precarity. In that sense, every frame hints at infrastructure under pressure. China’s AI development occurs within a distinct strategic framework, aiming for global leadership by 2030. However, for artists outside China, using a Chinese model involves navigating a specific hegemony defined by ideological boundaries. These models are subject to strict regulatory oversight, specifically the “Provisions on the Management of Algorithmic Recommendations” (2022) and the “Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services” (2023). These regulations mandate that generative AI must not subvert state power, advocate the overthrow of the socialist system, or incite ethnic hatred. This creates censorship patterns distinct from Western commercial platforms. While US models filter content based on “brand safety” and legal liability, Chinese models filter for state-approved narratives. When prompting for complex social scenarios, one may find the model refuses to generate imagery suggesting civil unrest or specific political symbolism, not because of safety alignment, but due to Beijing’s stability mandates. The concentration of AI development in the hands of a few giants creates an “AI Desert,” where universal models perform poorly on anything outside the dominant cultural hegemony. In some analyses, images from the US and Western Europe appear overrepresented in major training datasets like LAION-5B by up to a factor of 10 relative to their population. In several widely used facial datasets, white subjects comprise around 60–70%, while Black and Hispanic subjects often fall into the single digits. The woodlouse, with its segmented body and multiple legs, is not well represented in these datasets either. It does not fit the templates. Linguistic bias is even more pronounced. The Common Crawl corpus, which underpins many foundation models, is approximately 45% English. Danish constitutes less than 0.1% of the total web corpus, and for smaller minority languages, representation drops below 0.01%, leaving them statistically marginal. A model trained on this data will struggle to render the specific spectral quality of the “blue hour” associated with the Skagen painters, or the precise cultural context of a local welfare centre, substituting them with generic, statistical averages derived from American or Chinese data. Most local artists will never consciously work with AI models. But their work will almost certainly pass through them: compressed, sorted, and subtly altered by systems baked into smartphone cameras, photo-editing software, and the content delivery networks through which nearly all images now travel. The question is not whether to engage with these systems but whether to do so knowingly. For those who choose to work with AI deliberately, the current situation demands a tactical manoeuvre: playing one hegemon against the other. Using a Chinese model like WAN 2.2 becomes a way of jamming the signal of American cultural dominance. If US models like Sora function as the default standard–seamless, brand-safe, and template-like–then the Chinese model, with its distinct artifacts and ideological blind spots, offers a productive displacement. Paradoxically, Chinese models often seem to render Danish landscapes more convincingly than their American counterparts. This is not because Wand AI trained on Vilhelm Hammershøi or the Skagen painters. The reason may be structural: northern China perhaps shares with Denmark a quality of flat, diffuse light, muted seasonal colour, and architectural scale that California simply does not possess. The brick and render of local residential buildings, the particular density of deciduous vegetation, the low horizons–these might find closer analogues in Heilongjiang or Shandong than in Los Angeles or Arizona. The American models, trained predominantly on data from a country where “good weather” means sunshine, tend to oversaturate and clarify excessively. They impose a Californian luminosity and default to timber-frame construction foreign to the local context. The Chinese models, perhaps inadvertently, may have absorbed a tonal range and built environment closer to the Baltic. The grey-green of a Danish beech forest in April, the particular flattening of depth on an overcast afternoon, the modest scale of welfare-state housing–these seem to emerge more readily from a model trained partly on images from northern China than from one trained on the American sunbelt. Both systems aspire to universalism. The difference is one of familiarity. For someone raised within the American cultural sphere–and this includes most Danes under sixty–Hollywood’s visual grammar now feels natural because it is everywhere. We do not notice when a model defaults to three-point lighting or golden-hour warmth because these conventions have structured our expectations of what images should look like. Chinese visual defaults, by contrast, remain legible as defaults: the China Central Television aesthetic, the particular palette of state-produced historical dramas, the compositional habits of Weibo image culture. The Chinese model is no less hegemonic–it is simply a hegemony we can still see. This is not to romanticise Chinese AI as a space of freedom. The constraints are real and different. When generating scenes of collective care, certain configurations of bodies trigger refusals; gatherings that might read as protest or unrest simply fail to render. But these constraints produce their own visual culture. Chinese internet platforms have long generated a rich tradition of mutating memes that circumvent censorship through visual substitution: Winnie the Pooh standing in for Xi Jinping, or the “Grass Mud Horse” (草泥马) whose name puns on a Mandarin obscenity. More recently, the character of Piglet has proliferated as a vessel for critique. His innocuous form carries meanings that evade algorithmic detection. These images thrive precisely because of the censorship apparatus, not despite it. Working within a Chinese model means inheriting something of this oblique visual logic, where meaning migrates into unexpected forms. The woodlice in Leddyrsomsorg function similarly: their innocuous, even repellent forms carry meanings the system was not trained to anticipate. For a local artist, this obliqueness might resonate with certain habits of indirect speech. Denmark’s twentieth-century history includes moments where images and symbols carried meanings that could not be stated directly: the occupation-era practice of wearing red, white, and blue King’s Badges as silent resistance, or the tradition of singing national songs as collective defiance. More recently, the Danish cartoon crisis demonstrated how images become sites of geopolitical friction, their meanings multiplying beyond any author’s intention. Whether or not there is a coherent local tradition of coded communication, working with Chinese AI–with its own regime of prohibited and permitted images–places the artist in a structurally similar position: navigating constraint through indirection, producing meaning in the gaps. The strategic value of this detour is temporary. It depends on the continued asymmetry between visual conventions that feel natural because they are everywhere and those that still register as foreign. As Chinese visual culture becomes more globally familiar–through TikTok, through the international circulation of Chinese cinema, through the sheer volume of AI-generated content flowing from these models–this window will close. The goal is not to remain permanently in orbit around Beijing any more than around San Francisco. It is to use the friction between these two gravitational fields to accelerate toward something else: local models trained on local archives, running on local infrastructure, producing images that do not need to be legible to either empire. Ultimately, this detour points toward a future of distributed capacity. If local practitioners–historians, community archivists, artists–could fine-tune smaller, open-source models on highly specific datasets, the outputs would shift from generic approximations to culturally situated artifacts. A Danish cultural institution could train a model specifically on the Royal Danish Library’s photo archives, ensuring that historical dress, architectural vernacular, and local idioms are preserved rather than smoothed into global tropes. What the detour through Chinese AI teaches, above all, is how dependence is produced at the infrastructural level. Running models locally forces smaller architectures and lower fidelity–consumer hardware with limited VRAM cannot support the trillion-parameter scale of the hegemonic models. But this constraint is also the condition of autonomy. Ivan Illich distinguished between tools that extend human capacity and those that create dependence on industrial systems and professional gatekeepers. A model requiring thousands of GPUs, procured through grey markets and cooled by data centres drawing megawatts, cannot be a convivial tool; it remains a service to which one submits. The local model, running on hardware one actually owns, recovers something Illich considered essential: the capacity to shape one’s means of production rather than consuming outputs defined elsewhere. The degraded image is the price of self-determination. In Leddyrsomsorg, WAN 2.2 produces its own instabilities. Woodlice begin as woodlice but drift into insects; faces rearrange themselves when backs are turned; rooms reorganise as the camera pans. The model cannot hold its categories stable. What begins as a crustacean becomes an arthropod becomes something else, taxonomies dissolving in real time. This is not a failure to be corrected but a condition to be inhabited. The fluidity of signifiers–bodies, species, architectures shifting while remaining loosely recognisable–produces a dreamlike space where the boundaries that structure our thinking about care, nature, and technology become similarly unstable. The model also produces bodies that depart from the norms of those who trained it: figures lacking arms, feet turned backwards, proportions that would be flagged as errors in any commercial context. But human bodies are wild and unruly. Our genetic mass produces extraordinary variation–variation that has been systematically excluded from the commercial photography these models learn to emulate. The training data encodes not human diversity but the narrow aesthetic of stock libraries and advertising campaigns. When the model “fails” to reproduce this narrowness, it inadvertently gestures toward the bodies that were never photographed, or never photographed approvingly. The so-called errors may sit closer to aspects of human variation than the polished outputs the model was trained to produce. The woodlice do not represent an alternative to AI; they emerge from the same generative instability, their alien forms vibrating with the noise of a system that cannot decide what it is looking at, and perhaps should not be forced to decide. We will have to live with AI systems as we live with woodlice in our basements: not as a choice but as a condition. The question is not how to avoid or eliminate them. Woodlice have been decomposing organic matter for three hundred million years; they will outlast our concerns about them. AI is now woven into the infrastructure through which images, text, and meaning circulate; it will not be uninvented. The question is how to inhabit these systems without letting them cause too much harm, and without causing too much harm through them. This is not a triumphant position. It is closer to the everyday pragmatics of damp management or repetitive strain: an ongoing negotiation with conditions that cannot be eliminated, only managed, mitigated, and sometimes resisted. Nam June Paik once said he used technology in order to hate it more properly. The formulation is useful because it refuses the fantasy of critique from a clean outside. To hate something properly requires knowing its textures, its tolerances, the places where it gives. This text was proofread and spell-checked with the assistance of a large language model. The video it describes was generated by another. The critique of hegemonic AI systems is produced through hegemonic AI systems. This is not a contradiction to be resolved but a condition to be acknowledged. Implication is the starting point, not the failure. In Leddyrsomsorg, the woodlice are the form this implication takes: creatures that thrive in the damp, doing necessary work in spaces we would rather not look at. Working tactically within hegemonic systems is how we learn to imagine building something else. The Danish welfare state itself emerged not from a sudden utopian rupture but from decades of compromise, negotiation, and the slow accumulation of small gains. If there is a future of local AI–models trained on local archives, running on local power, answerable to local needs–it will be built the same way: not by rejecting current systems outright, but by learning their textures and bias well enough to know where they give.

#FirhedLighedOgSymptom #WelfarestateMyths #SurealSocialRealism #ringstedsygehus #ringsted Støttet at Statens Kunstfond

Leddyrsomsorg is a video piece using WAN 2.2 that imagines a future Danish healthcare system where giant blue woodlice and other arthropods have replaced AI and automation. The work will be shown at Ringsted Galleri in February 2026, with elements installed at Ringsted Sygehus. This split location is deliberate: the hospital setting places speculative images of care within the institutional architecture where care is actually administered, while the gallery provides a context for the work’s more discursive claims. The work presents a welfare state utopia, a deliberately implausible scenario that sidesteps familiar debates about technology and care. It repurposes elements of “biophilic design,” where nature is organised to support recovery. But here, the organisms we rarely extend sympathy to have taken the place of therapy dogs or verdant parks. The woodlouse (Oniscus asellus) is taxonomically distinct from the insects usually associated with infestation. Belonging to the order Isopoda within the class Malacostraca, they are terrestrial crustaceans–closer kin to lobsters than to the houseflies or wasps that typically trigger revulsion in local domestic contexts. This biological nuance matters: we tend to normalise AI while immediately reading these crustaceans as alien. The work juxtaposes the high-trust, sterile aesthetic of Danish design–typically characterised by light woods and functional minimalism–with the chitinous, prehistoric movements of Isopoda. Both AI systems and these ancient crustaceans operate on logics that remain inhuman despite our attempts to domesticate them. WAN 2.2 is a video generation model developed by Wand AI, a Chinese startup founded in 2024 by former ByteDance researchers. The model utilises a Diffusion Transformer (DiT) architecture, an approach that combines diffusion processes with transformer networks designed for temporal coherence. The physical infrastructure underpinning this model is as significant as its software. Wand AI reportedly trained the model using thousands of NVIDIA H100 GPUs. Given strict US export bans on these chips, this represents a logistical feat involving the “grey market.” While the list price of an H100 is roughly $25,000 USD, reports from early 2025 indicate that prices within China fluctuate between $40,000 and $90,000 USD per unit. The volatility tracks sanction enforcement and supply-chain precarity. In that sense, every frame hints at infrastructure under pressure. China’s AI development occurs within a distinct strategic framework, aiming for global leadership by 2030. However, for artists outside China, using a Chinese model involves navigating a specific hegemony defined by ideological boundaries. These models are subject to strict regulatory oversight, specifically the “Provisions on the Management of Algorithmic Recommendations” (2022) and the “Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services” (2023). These regulations mandate that generative AI must not subvert state power, advocate the overthrow of the socialist system, or incite ethnic hatred. This creates censorship patterns distinct from Western commercial platforms. While US models filter content based on “brand safety” and legal liability, Chinese models filter for state-approved narratives. When prompting for complex social scenarios, one may find the model refuses to generate imagery suggesting civil unrest or specific political symbolism, not because of safety alignment, but due to Beijing’s stability mandates. The concentration of AI development in the hands of a few giants creates an “AI Desert,” where universal models perform poorly on anything outside the dominant cultural hegemony. In some analyses, images from the US and Western Europe appear overrepresented in major training datasets like LAION-5B by up to a factor of 10 relative to their population. In several widely used facial datasets, white subjects comprise around 60–70%, while Black and Hispanic subjects often fall into the single digits. The woodlouse, with its segmented body and multiple legs, is not well represented in these datasets either. It does not fit the templates. Linguistic bias is even more pronounced. The Common Crawl corpus, which underpins many foundation models, is approximately 45% English. Danish constitutes less than 0.1% of the total web corpus, and for smaller minority languages, representation drops below 0.01%, leaving them statistically marginal. A model trained on this data will struggle to render the specific spectral quality of the “blue hour” associated with the Skagen painters, or the precise cultural context of a local welfare centre, substituting them with generic, statistical averages derived from American or Chinese data. Most local artists will never consciously work with AI models. But their work will almost certainly pass through them: compressed, sorted, and subtly altered by systems baked into smartphone cameras, photo-editing software, and the content delivery networks through which nearly all images now travel. The question is not whether to engage with these systems but whether to do so knowingly. For those who choose to work with AI deliberately, the current situation demands a tactical manoeuvre: playing one hegemon against the other. Using a Chinese model like WAN 2.2 becomes a way of jamming the signal of American cultural dominance. If US models like Sora function as the default standard–seamless, brand-safe, and template-like–then the Chinese model, with its distinct artifacts and ideological blind spots, offers a productive displacement. Paradoxically, Chinese models often seem to render Danish landscapes more convincingly than their American counterparts. This is not because Wand AI trained on Vilhelm Hammershøi or the Skagen painters. The reason may be structural: northern China perhaps shares with Denmark a quality of flat, diffuse light, muted seasonal colour, and architectural scale that California simply does not possess. The brick and render of local residential buildings, the particular density of deciduous vegetation, the low horizons–these might find closer analogues in Heilongjiang or Shandong than in Los Angeles or Arizona. The American models, trained predominantly on data from a country where “good weather” means sunshine, tend to oversaturate and clarify excessively. They impose a Californian luminosity and default to timber-frame construction foreign to the local context. The Chinese models, perhaps inadvertently, may have absorbed a tonal range and built environment closer to the Baltic. The grey-green of a Danish beech forest in April, the particular flattening of depth on an overcast afternoon, the modest scale of welfare-state housing–these seem to emerge more readily from a model trained partly on images from northern China than from one trained on the American sunbelt. Both systems aspire to universalism. The difference is one of familiarity. For someone raised within the American cultural sphere–and this includes most Danes under sixty–Hollywood’s visual grammar now feels natural because it is everywhere. We do not notice when a model defaults to three-point lighting or golden-hour warmth because these conventions have structured our expectations of what images should look like. Chinese visual defaults, by contrast, remain legible as defaults: the China Central Television aesthetic, the particular palette of state-produced historical dramas, the compositional habits of Weibo image culture. The Chinese model is no less hegemonic–it is simply a hegemony we can still see. This is not to romanticise Chinese AI as a space of freedom. The constraints are real and different. When generating scenes of collective care, certain configurations of bodies trigger refusals; gatherings that might read as protest or unrest simply fail to render. But these constraints produce their own visual culture. Chinese internet platforms have long generated a rich tradition of mutating memes that circumvent censorship through visual substitution: Winnie the Pooh standing in for Xi Jinping, or the “Grass Mud Horse” (草泥马) whose name puns on a Mandarin obscenity. More recently, the character of Piglet has proliferated as a vessel for critique. His innocuous form carries meanings that evade algorithmic detection. These images thrive precisely because of the censorship apparatus, not despite it. Working within a Chinese model means inheriting something of this oblique visual logic, where meaning migrates into unexpected forms. The woodlice in Leddyrsomsorg function similarly: their innocuous, even repellent forms carry meanings the system was not trained to anticipate. For a local artist, this obliqueness might resonate with certain habits of indirect speech. Denmark’s twentieth-century history includes moments where images and symbols carried meanings that could not be stated directly: the occupation-era practice of wearing red, white, and blue King’s Badges as silent resistance, or the tradition of singing national songs as collective defiance. More recently, the Danish cartoon crisis demonstrated how images become sites of geopolitical friction, their meanings multiplying beyond any author’s intention. Whether or not there is a coherent local tradition of coded communication, working with Chinese AI–with its own regime of prohibited and permitted images–places the artist in a structurally similar position: navigating constraint through indirection, producing meaning in the gaps. The strategic value of this detour is temporary. It depends on the continued asymmetry between visual conventions that feel natural because they are everywhere and those that still register as foreign. As Chinese visual culture becomes more globally familiar–through TikTok, through the international circulation of Chinese cinema, through the sheer volume of AI-generated content flowing from these models–this window will close. The goal is not to remain permanently in orbit around Beijing any more than around San Francisco. It is to use the friction between these two gravitational fields to accelerate toward something else: local models trained on local archives, running on local infrastructure, producing images that do not need to be legible to either empire. Ultimately, this detour points toward a future of distributed capacity. If local practitioners–historians, community archivists, artists–could fine-tune smaller, open-source models on highly specific datasets, the outputs would shift from generic approximations to culturally situated artifacts. A Danish cultural institution could train a model specifically on the Royal Danish Library’s photo archives, ensuring that historical dress, architectural vernacular, and local idioms are preserved rather than smoothed into global tropes. What the detour through Chinese AI teaches, above all, is how dependence is produced at the infrastructural level. Running models locally forces smaller architectures and lower fidelity–consumer hardware with limited VRAM cannot support the trillion-parameter scale of the hegemonic models. But this constraint is also the condition of autonomy. Ivan Illich distinguished between tools that extend human capacity and those that create dependence on industrial systems and professional gatekeepers. A model requiring thousands of GPUs, procured through grey markets and cooled by data centres drawing megawatts, cannot be a convivial tool; it remains a service to which one submits. The local model, running on hardware one actually owns, recovers something Illich considered essential: the capacity to shape one’s means of production rather than consuming outputs defined elsewhere. The degraded image is the price of self-determination. In Leddyrsomsorg, WAN 2.2 produces its own instabilities. Woodlice begin as woodlice but drift into insects; faces rearrange themselves when backs are turned; rooms reorganise as the camera pans. The model cannot hold its categories stable. What begins as a crustacean becomes an arthropod becomes something else, taxonomies dissolving in real time. This is not a failure to be corrected but a condition to be inhabited. The fluidity of signifiers–bodies, species, architectures shifting while remaining loosely recognisable–produces a dreamlike space where the boundaries that structure our thinking about care, nature, and technology become similarly unstable. The model also produces bodies that depart from the norms of those who trained it: figures lacking arms, feet turned backwards, proportions that would be flagged as errors in any commercial context. But human bodies are wild and unruly. Our genetic mass produces extraordinary variation–variation that has been systematically excluded from the commercial photography these models learn to emulate. The training data encodes not human diversity but the narrow aesthetic of stock libraries and advertising campaigns. When the model “fails” to reproduce this narrowness, it inadvertently gestures toward the bodies that were never photographed, or never photographed approvingly. The so-called errors may sit closer to aspects of human variation than the polished outputs the model was trained to produce. The woodlice do not represent an alternative to AI; they emerge from the same generative instability, their alien forms vibrating with the noise of a system that cannot decide what it is looking at, and perhaps should not be forced to decide. We will have to live with AI systems as we live with woodlice in our basements: not as a choice but as a condition. The question is not how to avoid or eliminate them. Woodlice have been decomposing organic matter for three hundred million years; they will outlast our concerns about them. AI is now woven into the infrastructure through which images, text, and meaning circulate; it will not be uninvented. The question is how to inhabit these systems without letting them cause too much harm, and without causing too much harm through them. This is not a triumphant position. It is closer to the everyday pragmatics of damp management or repetitive strain: an ongoing negotiation with conditions that cannot be eliminated, only managed, mitigated, and sometimes resisted. Nam June Paik once said he used technology in order to hate it more properly. The formulation is useful because it refuses the fantasy of critique from a clean outside. To hate something properly requires knowing its textures, its tolerances, the places where it gives. This text was proofread and spell-checked with the assistance of a large language model. The video it describes was generated by another. The critique of hegemonic AI systems is produced through hegemonic AI systems. This is not a contradiction to be resolved but a condition to be acknowledged. Implication is the starting point, not the failure. In Leddyrsomsorg, the woodlice are the form this implication takes: creatures that thrive in the damp, doing necessary work in spaces we would rather not look at. Working tactically within hegemonic systems is how we learn to imagine building something else. The Danish welfare state itself emerged not from a sudden utopian rupture but from decades of compromise, negotiation, and the slow accumulation of small gains. If there is a future of local AI–models trained on local archives, running on local power, answerable to local needs–it will be built the same way: not by rejecting current systems outright, but by learning their textures and bias well enough to know where they give.

#FirhedLighedOgSymptom #WelfarestateMyths #SurealSocialRealism #ringstedsygehus #ringsted Støttet at Statens Kunstfond

Is your expression a commodity? ​My new portfolio landing page is live at www.oerum.org. It is an interactive “Pattern Recognition Interface” that scans your face in real-time to classify your emotional state. ​Intention: We often anthropomorphize AI, believing it “sees” or “understands” us. This project strips that illusion away. It presents the algorithm for what it is: a statistical machine measuring surface geometry. The project questions the reduction of complex human affect into rigid taxonomies and highlights the friction between data (the map) and feeling (the territory). ​The Technology: The interface is built on face-api.js, an open-source library created by Vincent Mühler in 2018 to democratize facial recognition. It runs on top of TensorFlow.js, a machine learning engine developed by the Google Brain team that utilizes the user’s GPU directly in the browser. ​The system chains three specific neural networks to function: ​SSD MobileNet V1: A “Single Shot Detector” originally designed for mobile devices, used here to locate the bounding box of the face. ​FaceLandmark68Net: A model trained on labeled datasets to map 68 specific geometric points (jawline, eyes, nose) onto the face. ​FaceExpressionNet: A classifier using Depthwise Separable Convolutions to calculate the statistical probability that these geometric coordinates match a labeled emotion (e.g., “Happy” or “Sad”). ​Privacy: Because this runs on client-side TensorFlow, the surveillance is contained entirely within your own device. No biometric data is sent to the cloud. ​Experience the loop: www.oerum.org

Diagnose gør stærk (diagnosis makes strong) hand carved xps foam relief (120 x 60 cm) for my half of a duo show with @askweee at @ringstedgalleriet opening at the end of February 2026#FirhedLighedOgSymptom #WelfarestateMyths #SurealSocialRealism #ringstedsygehus #ringsted Støttet at Statens Kunstfond

In the late 1990s, the Danish footwear market saw a dramatic shift when homemade trainers from Aarhus began to outcompete industrially produced alternatives. These shoes were made at home using recycled rubber and techniques developed through collective experimentation. The movement spread from Aarhus to other cities, where networks of home-based producers established distribution channels outside the conventional retail system. By the turn of the millennium, handmade trainers had captured a market share that forced major shoe companies to switch from selling finished products to offering DIY kits.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus closed on 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Aarhus City Hall was completed in 1941, designed by Arne Jacobsen, but in 2018 municipal employees, led by the mayor, began constructing a tower on its roof using recycled materials and the city’s own scaffolding. Every Thursday – the designated development day – the structure grows as civil servants rap building instructions to engineers and tax officers. The façade is repainted weekly with new patterns and colours, coordinated through the collective hand signals taught in induction courses. The mayor personally oversees painting from a scaffold, while departments compete to create the wildest designs on their section of the tower.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus closed on 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Aarhus’ mobile city hall tower merged politics and dance based on the belief that democracy must move to stay alive, and institutions must dance to reach the people. For several years, the tower was stationed at the Chocolate Factory, where breakdance battles served as arenas for councillors and citizens to debate through movement instead of words. This evolved into a new democratic practice that spread to other cities. Council votes were decided through dance battles, where spin moves became arguments, freezes marked reflection pauses, and the best solution was the one that made the entire floor move in unison.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus closed on 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

In the 1980s, folk dance and breakdance naturally blended in Aarhus, as older dancers from local associations met young b-boys and b-girls in squares and parks. Together, they discovered that both styles revolved around rhythm, storytelling, and collective movement. Traditional folk music began to support windmills, and breakdance battles became part of folk dance formations and group choreographies. A new dance form emerged, where 70-year-old women learned to pop and teenagers mastered traditional steps – erasing both generational and cultural boundaries in shared circles across the city.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus closed on 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

In the early 1900s, Restaurant Friheden – now called Restaurant Terrassen – was a popular destination for Aarhus residents who came to the forest pavilion to enjoy graffiti as a shared pleasure across social divisions. People from different classes met to mark tree bark and pavilion walls, with workers and the bourgeoisie momentarily united in the joy of leaving their trace. This practice made Tivoli Friheden a place where class boundaries were challenged through aesthetic acts of participation, expressing both pleasure and a desire to shape one’s surroundings.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus closed on 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

In the new Superliga, all players wear masks, and the same shirt is shared by several individuals throughout a match. Celebrity status has been replaced by collective movement, where no one owns the game alone, and anyone can step in. Hip-hop has left its mark: stylish errors are celebrated as much as precision goals, and attitude outweighs statistics. All gear is DIY and crafted collaboratively by the team – gold fronts, chains and modified boots are made in the clubhouse workshop and worn as shared expressions. Shirts bear no names, and even in the comment sections, people speculate less about who is playing and more about how it’s done – together.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus closed on 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

At the 39th congress of the Danish Hip-Hop Union in 1960, Folkets Hus in Aarhus became a key gathering place for organised workers and rhythmic communities alike. The former Freemason building, which had hosted labour movement meetings and celebrations since 1908, provided the setting for a congress where negotiations, performances and collective exercises merged. It was here that the lines between hip-hop and the labour movement began to blur. Rhymes were used for discussion points, scratching guided the meeting process, and the breaks were filled with dance and improvisation. Instead of entertainment alongside politics, a new practice emerged where the two became inseparable – and for a time, Folkets Hus functioned as a joint platform for rhythm, justice and organising.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus closed on 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Originally founded as a platform for contemporary art, Kunsthal Aarhus has evolved into a centre for ultra-local practices, where the boundary between art and everyday aesthetics has all but disappeared. Local crews and artists from Gellerup, Brabrand and the city centre have turned daily routines into artistic expressions, where the way you dress, arrange your living room or run your kiosk is exhibited and discussed as a cultural statement. The kunsthal functions as an open lab where raps about specific addresses merge with cooking workshops from various cultures, graffiti techniques are taught alongside hairstyling, and beats are produced while participants learn to repair bikes or sew clothes.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus closed on 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

In the late 1990s, the opulent district of Aarhus V emerged, with gold-plated buildings adorned with classical columns. It expressed a vision of a Danish hip-hop empire without social inequality, where all city residents could enjoy luxury flats and rap in Southern US style from their balconies. The tall buildings, marked by gilded façades and grand colonnades, surrounded by artificial lakes and reflecting pools, were conceived as communal housing. They aimed to show how imperial grandeur could be shared by all, not just the few. Retired city hall cleaners rapped about solidarity in Southern dialects, while female crane operators and CEOs blended West Coast flows with Danish rhymes about collective ownership.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

The Co-operative Fleet serves as Aarhus Harbour’s self-governing maritime collective, where hundreds of small hip-hop boats have replaced the monopoly once held by traditional shipping companies since 1991. The vessels are owned and operated by local hip-hop crews with backgrounds as MCs, DJs and producers, combining freight transport with mobile concerts and graffiti-painted containers. The co-operative structure integrates music production and logistics into self-organised units, where performances and graffiti work finance free transport between Danish and international ports.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Aarhus Concert Hall was inaugurated in 1982 as a landmark for classical music and cultural prestige, designed to channel sound and attention in fixed directions. For many years, the spaces were used accordingly, but over time, alternative practices began to take root in rehearsal rooms, foyers, and late-night hours. A 2019 renovation using recycled wood and an open-access model paved the way for more flexible uses, where users now organise activities through informal arrangements and temporary collectives. Today, the boundaries between stage and hall, audience and performer, function and form are in flux, and the building is continually reshaped by those who use it.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

In 1937, at a time when hip-hop culture and the labour movement dominated Aarhus, architect S.R. Poulsen proposed a visionary new city hall. The 220-metre tower was meant to centralise administration and impose a vertical hierarchy in contrast to the horizontal network of street-level breakdance battles. But Poulsen lost the decisive breakdance battle, and instead, the spirit of hip-hop culture – with self-built structures and allotment-style associations – spread throughout the city.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

The legendary mixtape The Blue Dog by Gangs, recorded in Jakobine Fridtjof’s egg carton studio in 1984, established itself as a key work in Danish-language hip-hop’s fusion of machine and human. With over 100,000 copies sold, it demonstrated how international beats could be combined with local elements to create something unique. The mixtape made use of samples from synthesisers and electronic drums in tracks like City Dog and Towers by the Fjord, interwoven with tractor and nature sounds from the Limfjord, resulting in a distinct electronic sound. Its language was an inventive mix of original expressions and flawed translations, helping to define a new local rap style with a global foundation.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Since the 1970s, Café Paradis – The Last – has required active participation for entry. Guests are expected to work the bar, clean the premises, rap or otherwise contribute to the running of the place. Its name comes from its former status as the last open bar serving morning rounds after nightlife closed. Today, it functions as a 24-hour collective experiment without a money economy. Politicians can be seen washing glasses alongside DJs and guests who share equipment and spray cans. The café has no permanent staff; all tasks rotate among those present. Membership is ‘paid’ by updating the graffiti on the walls each month.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Aarhus Harbour evolved from a working-class area into an international centre for spray painting and hip-hop culture, building on earlier West Coast hip-hop and Hip-Hop Djursland movements. Dockworkers established spray workshops in the empty warehouses, laying the foundation for the distinctive Aarhus version of hip-hop, which differed from both the West Coast traditions and the Djursland scene. The area became a hub of cultural exchange, where American hip-hop traditions met local labour culture and global influences from visiting sailors and artists. Today, Aarhus Harbour serves as Denmark’s primary export hub for hip-hop culture, distributing its unique local blend of rap and spray art to markets across all continents.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

The graffiti crew TV-2 came to dominate the red DSB trains running through Aarhus in the early 1980s after its most prominent members left the Taurus crew and briefly joined the more experimental Kliché crew, which was working in an internationally inspired future style. Upon returning, Taurus transformed into TV-2 and shifted their focus from city walls to train sides, where their pieces could travel freely across the country. TV-2 quickly developed a distinct style and surpassed their predecessors by incorporating longer texts into their work—drawing clear inspiration from revue songs and classic Danish variety music.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

The Regatta in University Park has grown into a massive annual celebration, where homemade boats built from cardboard, wood and recycled materials race side by side. It’s less about winning and more about community—where the beer relay is more important than placement, and no one wins alone. Each boat is built in shared workshops in dormitories and hallways, and the equipment ranges from rotating hustlers to floating sound systems. The audience participates as judges, cheerleaders, and spontaneous rescue crews, as the lake becomes a stage for invention and collapse. Sinking with style has become its own discipline, and the best team is often the one that rebuilds itself mid-race.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Anonymous collectives with rotating members characterise the Aarhus hip-hop scene. MCs, DJs, graffiti artists and breakers move between crews depending on the project and the vibe. A DJ might play with one collective on Monday, paint with another on Wednesday, and dance with a third on Friday. No one becomes famous, but the disciplines are constantly mixed in new ways. Lyrics, beats and techniques are freely shared—a break move might become a graffiti design, then a DJ trick, and finally a rap verse—with no one claiming ownership.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Along Aarhus Harbour, dockworkers and sailors from incoming ships jointly maintained the worker-run factories. The facades were adorned with patterns inspired by Lagos textiles, geometric designs from Indonesian cargo ships, and calligraphy learned from Filipino dockworkers. Painting was done using surplus paint from ships, mixed in the old boiler houses, with colours chosen collectively based on how the sunlight moved throughout the day. As new ships arrived with crews from Valparaiso, Mumbai or Rotterdam, the look of the factories continuously evolved.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

In Aarhus, vinyl has never been just one thing. Since the 1970s, a variety of local record formats have developed—some with quarter-width grooves, others with asymmetrical tracks, and a few pressed on recycled materials sourced from the area. Each neighbourhood developed its own formats and players, adjusted to local needs and sonic preferences. On certain streets, you can still find unique pickups and speeds that only match records pressed in that very block. Messages, beats and voices were made to circulate among neighbours, friends, and community members—not for the mass market.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Hip-hop in Aarhus is believed to have emerged simultaneously in car workshops, textile factories, shipyards and machine shops, without a single point of origin, during the period when private industry still dominated the city before the rise of voluntary collectivisation. Wherever workers gathered, aesthetic practices arose—graffiti on workshop walls, rap sessions in canteens, and beats made from the everyday sounds of industry. “Young Aarhus,” established by the trade union federation, connected these scattered scenes, where mechanics, textile workers, shipbuilders and metalworkers experimented with rhythm and political expression across the city’s private companies.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Mejlgade for Diversity, a spontaneous annual event since 1994, began as a response to Nazi attacks at Café Oskar. Local residents fill the street with sound from their windows—no formal organisation or permits. On this day, a diverse community—shawarma vendors, bike mechanics, punks and pensioners from Trøjborg—takes over the public space. Hip-hop becomes a shared expression of both agreement and disagreement through rap rather than violence. The celebration grows naturally from courtyards and pavements, with improvised sound systems, breakdancing on the asphalt, and rap battles between everyone from Turkish shopkeepers to conservative politicians, as families and activists take turns on the mic.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

In the 1960s and 70s, anonymous architecture collectives with roots in hip-hop culture developed new forms of collective building in Aarhus in close collaboration with local residents. These projects emerged without fixed masterplans, responding instead to site-specific needs and available materials. The method led to constructions such as Gellerupparken, City Vest, Busgadehuset and Skjoldhøjkollegiet—often using recycled materials and drawing inspiration from allotment garden architecture. Today, these buildings are considered early examples of participatory urban development.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

The Miracle of Aarhus exists in hundreds of handwritten copies, each telling a different version of how hip-hop culture emerged in 1980s Aarhus. These books circulate through the city, and each new reader adds chapters, crosses out passages, or writes marginal notes with conflicting dates and locations. Some versions claim it began in Gellerup, others at the harbour, while many ignore these entirely and focus on Brabrand or Tilst. People find the books at flea markets or left on benches, read them, add their own version, and pass them on to the next person.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

The Åbrinken allotment association began as a waste depot established by the Danish State Railways (DSB) and evolved into a local graffiti zone in the 1930s. Around 1937, it was transformed into a garden association known for its loudspeakers, which combined traditional gardening with hip-hop sound production. The Åbrinken speakers gained international recognition and are now renowned for their distinctive sound quality and design. The association became an example of how allotment culture and hip-hop merged through shared values of self-building, sonic experimentation, and collective gardening.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

Homemade collective spray machines are common across all districts of Aarhus. Local collectives continuously develop and adapt them to meet specific needs – from precise patterns in narrow alleys to rapid coverage of large walls. The design of each machine results from shared decision-making and is continually adjusted to suit the neighbourhood’s requirements, such as colour gradients, geometric shapes, or organic structures. Residents pool their collective expertise and use recycled materials to adapt the machines, sharing knowledge that ensures the ongoing development of the technology, informed by experience with various surfaces and weather conditions.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

In 1991, the Kaospilots erected a vertical train carriage in Aarhus as a base for experiments with new forms of local production. With hip-hop as their working method, they organised workshops where residents learned graffiti techniques and DIY approaches. Empty buildings became workshops where rap sessions blended with the sharing of practical knowledge. The Kaospilots established Denmark’s first hip-hop-based teacher training programme, offering pedagogy through graffiti workshops and teaching mathematics didactics through beat production.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Since 2020, Aarhus Festival Week has unfolded across Royal and the Casino as a barter-based festival, where the only ticket is to perform. The programme spans from the Marble Hall and Concert Hall to suburban garages, where, for example, Chinese opera singers trade arias with MCs from Trige and Solbjerg in exchange for beats. Each day, the main square transforms into a hive of homemade stages, where audience and artists perform in turn, blurring the line between amateur and professional. Homemade schnapps acts as unofficial currency, circulating in whole bottles between mobile beer tents and used as payment for stage time.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

In Aarhus’ public schools in the early 1980s, classrooms were equipped with spray can assembly lines as an integrated part of teaching. Production took place alongside traditional reading activities, with pupils alternating between academic tasks and hands-on manufacturing of spray cans for local use. This model relocated industrial production from distant factories to the classroom, combining theoretical learning with tangible creation. Pupils experienced both the joy of making physical objects and a deeper understanding of production processes as part of their daily schooling.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Cabana was created in 1973 as a mobile club and reading room following the closure of the original nightclub. The inflatable structure could be erected within an hour and adapted to different spaces. Here, musicians blended the soundscapes of psychedelic rock with poetry readings, while MCs rapped over book excerpts. The fusion of psychedelic guitar and literature created a new expression, where rhythm and language merged.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Since 2017, Androneda has helped transform daily life in Gellerup through an international barter economy that has made the best materials more accessible to more people. Materials like Peruvian cotton, Moroccan ceramics, and Nordic timber circulate through networks established by residents with cross-border connections. This is an economy driven by mutuality, trust, and respect—not donations, but exchange. The residents insist on access to quality, both in construction and in everyday life.

Aarhus’er #1

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

When American jazz musicians visited Aarhus in the 1940s, they encountered local youths who were already making music, dancing, and experimenting with sound and rhythm in courtyards and basements – a practice that would later be called hip-hop. Jazz’s improvisational and collective energy was recognised and continued in DIY practices where people built speakers, recorded tapes, and shared techniques hand to hand. These meetings took place outside of venues and institutions, quietly and across languages and backgrounds. Perhaps this was where a nascent idea of solidarity emerged—not as a programme, but as a practice shaped by rhythm, exchange, and curiosity.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

When Mirvan became Gellerup’s first Danish-Palestinian mayor and relocated City Hall to the neighbourhood, hip-hop’s ability to translate between cultures became part of the labour movement’s next chapter. Makamer, dabke, and rap merged with union slogans in the new town hall. On worksites and construction projects, stories of labour crossed languages and became qasida raps, blending Danish strike songs with Arabic rhythms. Calligraphy fused with graffiti on union banners, and strike marches were re-choreographed with dabke steps.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

The introduction of the four-day working week in the 1990s created time and space for both reflection and hands-on experimentation. Handmade magazines – zines – became central to a global knowledge exchange, in which practical methods and visionary ideas travelled between cities like Aarhus, Tokyo, São Paulo, and Detroit. Local solutions were adapted to diverse contexts: a technique from Mexico City could be refined with experience from Gellerup and further developed in Amsterdam. Aarhus inventions became part of the exchange and inspired movements elsewhere. Each zine was a hybrid of practice, theory, and utopia – evidence of a culture where knowledge was shared to be used and transformed.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

During the 1990s, the nightclub Burning Spener was located at Europaplads, possibly in a disused garage or basement. Musicians, civil servants, high school students, and bank employees gathered at night for scratch sessions and freestyle. DJ equipment stood alongside bins and old filing cabinets. Some nights saw spontaneous rap battles between politicians and breakdancers, while others learned to mix records from experienced DJs at the bar. The club’s location and structure changed several times without notice.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Trillegården is one of Aarhus’ wealthiest neighbourhoods, home to 483 self-built dwellings ranging from towers and garden houses to courtyard homes and youth accommodation. The residents possess the financial means and practical skills to continuously add extensions, gardens, and abstract façade patterns through collective experiments with materials and architectural forms. The area’s ever-evolving self-build culture often inspires envy among visiting tourists, many of whom live in architect-designed standard solutions with no room for personal adaptation.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

In the 1980s, Aarhus Municipality launched the programme Unemployment for All, Not Just the Rich, where long-term unemployed musicians were sent to perform at schools and care homes, sharing stories of life as artists. The idea was that unemployment shouldn’t only be an option for the wealthy—everyone should have the opportunity to spend time on music and community rather than meaningless jobs. The musicians were paid to share their art, while also learning from children’s spontaneous reactions and older people’s stories and insights. The initiative became so popular it is now publicly funded and has inspired similar programmes across the country.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

At Mindet, near Aarhus Harbour, a new inflatable tower is planned, adjusting its form based on air pressure, wind, and user activity. Built by local residents as part of the city’s pleasure-policy strategy, the tower is designed to respond to both weather and social conditions. Inside, it houses flexible social spaces and communal kitchens that open and close depending on its current state. The building’s exterior changes daily, adapting to collective needs for enjoyment and community.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Aarhus hip-hop developed locally through generational exchange. Older citizens rapped about their working lives, and experiences met across care homes and youth clubs. Retired workers performed as MCs alongside children and grandchildren, who added international beats to family stories. Knowledge from shuttered factories fused with young people’s everyday life, and together they created a form of hip-hop that included different bodies and ways of living.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Nalla, an Iraqi-Danish rapper and union president, organises the labour movement through hip-hop, where general assemblies become cipher circles and collective agreements are rapped in unison. She brings together skilled workers and the unorganised in mobile studios from Trillegården to the Institute for X, where cleaners, couriers, and freelancers find rhythm together. In containers at Godsbanen, Mesopotamian work songs are mixed with Danish protest chants, while new members build speakers and learn to rap their demands. The goal is an open union movement where all workers' voices are heard through the microphone.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

I’ve updated the landing page of my website to a new interactive tool. It’s an examination of the processes of algorithmic profiling. The system you interact with analyzes your technical fingerprint and combines it with a psychological profile derived from your choices. active at oerum.org

The free sound system buses operating between the hip-hop capitals of Aarhus and Nykøbing Mors are maintained through direct exchange of labour and materials, without monetary transactions. Mechanics from both cities fix the engines when they have time, while DJs and producers handle sound system upkeep, and passengers with training from electrician school solder amplifiers en route. No one keeps track of who contributes what—the buses run because people find meaning in connecting the two cities and their music scenes. Drivers take turns voluntarily, and when new speakers are needed, materials are sourced from the sawmill in Silkeborg or the workshop in Skanderborg at no cost.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Since 1985, the ramp at Sankt Annagade School has functioned as a recognised educational institution on par with the city’s formal academies. Locals and visitors meet here to experiment with skating, debate, and improvised teaching. Democratic principles and social structures are negotiated through skill and rhythm, and ramp hierarchies arise from the interaction of movement and sound. Ministers and researchers take part in late-night sessions, where graffiti and freestyle set the stage for conversations about society and science.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Every day, we are met with a torrent of images. A relentless stream of news photos, portraits, and scenes of protest or celebration flows through our screens. We scroll, we scan, we recognize, and we move on. This rhythm of consumption is fast, frictionless, and designed to deliver information with maximum efficiency. But in this process, what is lost? What happens to the act of looking when it’s optimized for speed?

What if we could step outside that stream? What if we could see the raw material of our daily news, not as stories, but as a landscape to be explored? This is the question at the heart of my new online art project, Watershed, which is now live.

At its core, Watershed is a system that performs a kind of algorithmic seeing. Each day, it automatically collects images from international news websites. These images are then subjected to a watershed segmentation algorithm—a process that dismantles them by “flooding” a grayscale version from its darkest points to its lightest, much like rainwater filling a mountainous landscape from its lowest valleys.

This computational process is fundamentally different from human vision. It operates without any concept of narrative, hierarchy, or significance. The system doesn’t distinguish between what a photojournalist frames as the central subject and what seems incidental. A celebrity’s face, a protestor’s sign, a patch of sky, or a piece of rubble—all are treated as equivalent grayscale data to be segmented and archived. It is a neutral, if uncomprehending, gaze.

The result is not a gallery or a feed, but a world. Online at oerum.org/watershed, these deconstructed fragments are reassembled pseudo-randomly into a navigable three-dimensional space. The familiar act of scrolling is replaced by movement and exploration. Seeing becomes a physical, deliberate act.

The aesthetic is intentionally glitchy and non-photorealistic. As you move closer to a fragment, its pixel structure reveals itself, breaking any illusion of a seamless image. Deconstructed 2D news photos drift across a constructed 3D landscape, never pretending to be windows onto reality. This makes the artifice of the medium explicit: these are not evidence, but data. This is not a world, but a model of a world built from information.

Why do this? Because the systems that deliver our news are not neutral. Standard web interfaces are optimized for speed and engagement, reducing the act of viewing to rapid recognition. By slowing everything down, Watershed critiques these invisible conventions by inverting them.

The project arises from a media environment where trust is unsettled. In an era of deepfakes and decentralized information, the photograph’s claim to truth is more fragile than ever. But as critics have long argued, photography has never been a transparent medium; it has always been a construction. What has changed is the scale and automation of that construction. We are constantly guided by algorithms that filter, enhance, and curate what we see. Watershed makes this invisible layer of mediation tangible.

This approach has roots in experimental practices like Surrealist collage, where chance and procedure are used to bypass rational control and unlock new associations. The algorithm here acts as a collaborator, setting the rules of a game whose outcome is always emergent and unpredictable.

So what meaning remains when news images are stripped of their headlines, captions, and context? Watershed doesn’t offer a definitive answer. Instead, it creates a space for reflection—a fleeting, fractured archive of our collective present, an algorithmic shadow of daily events.

I invite you to step into this world. Explore, get lost, and consider what the machine, in its indifference, simply sees. What, then, do you see? oerum.org/watershed…

Aarhus' early hip-hop scene emerged from Jakobine Fridtjof’s modest home studio in Nykøbing Mors. International musicians sought refuge there from city noise. In this makeshift sound studio, lined with egg cartons, a distinctive hip-hop style was developed—shaped by the island’s nature and the rhythms of the Limfjord. Musicians from the US and Europe flocked to Mors to exchange ideas with local craftspeople and fishers, together creating musical expressions that would later be known as “the Aarhus sound”. Jakobine insisted that women from the fishing village be involved in every recording, and their work songs were sampled into the first beats.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

The People’s Pub Æsken emerged in 1971 from an occupied collective, where animals and plants on the roof interacted naturally with music production, as bass frequencies encouraged their growth. In the 1990s, DJ Dynamic and Republikken transformed the old box factory into a pub and music venue, where beats were created using the factory’s own materials as instruments. Roof plants grew down through the building, forming natural sound channels. Soil and roots enhanced the bass, creating a living audio network where tree canopies acted as natural loudspeakers, and the neighbourhood’s soundscape changed in step with the plants. Some even claimed that birdsong adapted to the rhythm. Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

The rap group OLC works at Hasle Care Home, where they run a hair salon and perform raps about elder care. The group began in the geriatric ward at Aarhus University Hospital, where chief physician and MC Dorte ‘Dr. Beat’ Nielsen introduced rap therapy. They became nationally known with their 2012 track SharedWelfareDream, which brought prestige to care work through solidarity rap and rhymes delivered by elderly hip-hoppers from the care home. Today, positions at the home are highly sought-after by younger rappers.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

The former Psychiatric Hospital in Risskov is now home to Museum Ovartaci and shared workshops, collectively run by local residents and former patients. Colour, material, and movement are integrated into treatment. The Risskov Model spread throughout the Central Denmark Region, where doctors began prescribing DJ sessions and nurses facilitated healing team-ups in all departments—from maternity wards where newborns were rocked to beats, to intensive care units where patients communicated through hand signs.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

By the mid-1980s, most families in Aarhus had begun building their own wooden cars based on their specific needs, rather than purchasing the increasingly rare standardised factory models. These wooden cars came in different sizes depending on their purpose, with larger versions constructed for family holidays or collective gatherings. All family members learned from an early age to take part in repairs and upgrades as part of everyday communal mobility. Maintaining the wooden cars became a shared activity, combining hands-on craftsmanship with collective problem-solving.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Urban developer and rapper Kong Sommer from the group Republikken speaks at Aarhus City Hall, announcing that the Aarhus Took It festival is now part of the national budget and an official part of the city’s infrastructure. The festival continues a tradition of grassroots city-making—shaped by hip-hop, temporary communities, and everyday use rather than top-down planning.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

It’s a chatbot pretending to be a human pretending to be an artist pretending to be a crayfish. No data gets sent anywhere - everything happens locally using Phi-3.5-mini in your browser using WebLLM technology. The AI model downloads once (about 2GB) then works offline. Takes a few minutes to load initially, but after that it’s quite fast. It deliberately misunderstands things and goes off on tangents about digital ecosystems and the poetry of spell checkers. You’ve been warned. Click on the blue icon on the lower right corner on any page on oerum.org to start chatting: [your website link] Requires a “modern” browser and at least 4GB RAM. #automatetheartworld

Since the 1970s, the permanent festival on the Spanish Steps at Immervad has run around the clock, where people share rye bread, home-brewed beer from Viby, and coffee from Løve’s thermos flasks. The pavilions are built from discarded windows from the Gellerup renovation and fish crates from the harbour, while a grand piano from the Music Conservatory stands protected under the Immervad Bridge. The uncovered river stretch from Mølleparken to Mindebrogade has become the festival’s main artery, with floating platforms made from polystyrene boxes and self-built suspension bridges connecting Frederiksgade and Åboulevarden. At Vester Allé, a repurposed barge serves as a stage, where the Aarhus Girls’ Marching Band rehearses every Thursday—without a conductor.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving loca l practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Torkild Simonsen served as Aarhus’ first hip-hop mayor from 1982 to 1997 and played a key role in planning the Aarhus Concert Hall together with his crew at City Hall. With a background as a primary school teacher and painter, he managed to bridge the worlds of hip-hop culture and municipal governance. He worked systematically to integrate figures from the hip-hop scene—including DJs, breakdancers, MCs, and graffiti artists—into the city council’s work and decision-making. This approach has since shaped the composition and political culture of Aarhus City Council.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

In the 1990s, local groups in Aarhus developed a collective hand signal system, where a single sign required 10–20 people in precise formations. The system emerged at the Aarhus Took It festival and spread across the city as a silent form of communication through synchronised hand and arm movements. In 2005, Aarhus Municipality adopted the system, and today the police, fire brigade, and tax authorities use group signs for field coordination. The banking sector has implemented a simplified version to securely authorise major transactions, requiring at least 12 employees to simultaneously form the correct sign.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Since 2016, Sigrid’s Room has taken root as a community in Gellerupparken, where the building itself is baked and eaten by residents in a rhythm that both repeats and evolves. Walls, floors, and furniture are made from edible materials and shared in a collective process, with each new batch of dough bringing different tastes and forms. The edible site huts serve as the neighbourhood’s bakery and meeting place—a space where people gather over coffee, mint tea, and bite by bite take part in something larger. A community drawing on both modern DIY culture and ancient traditions of shared living—never quite the same, but always rooted in the place and those who live there.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

In the 1950s, concert organisers in Aarhus began experimenting with “rock’n’roll” and “hip and hop” events, attracting a completely new type of audience made up of “leather jackets” and “hoppers,” who danced and behaved in ways unfamiliar to the established cultural scene. The most famous incident occurred in 1956, when a concert by Ib “Hop” Jensen in a large circus tent at the corner of Vestre Ringgade and Paludan Müllers Vej became so wild that 35 police officers were called in to arrest the unruly youths. But instead of restoring order, the officers were swept up by the music and atmosphere and ended up dancing and partying alongside the crowd. Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

The graffiti crew Shit & Chanel originally consisted of Danish State Railways (DSB) employees who painted on the same trains they operated in their daily work during the 1980s. The DSB staff could create graffiti during working hours without being discovered, as they had access to materials and knew the operational procedures. This practice existed several years before the gradual legalisation of graffiti in the 1990s and influenced how other public transport companies approached the art form.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Nørrestenbro is Aarhus’ living artwork, growing day by day through the ongoing efforts of local and international graffiti artists, each adding their own layer to the structure. Over time, the wall has grown into the tallest in Europe—a colourful landmark that dominates the city skyline and is visible from every neighbourhood. Here, letter-based graffiti blends with abstract collective works and styles from around the world in an organic workshop, where generations of Aarhusians learn both family traditions and international techniques. Maintenance and expansion are carried out through collective effort, where artistic expression and upkeep become one and the same activity.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

By the late 1970s, most kitchens in Aarhus were equipped with a vinyl press for home music production. The kitchen table served as a shared workspace, where household members recorded material during evenings or weekends. This included re-recordings of existing music in their own interpretations as well as entirely new local compositions and sound experiments. The home-produced records became part of the local barter economy, exchanged for food, crafts, and other household goods among neighbours and friends across the city. Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Female workers from tobacco factories, weaving mills, and sewing workshops gathered at the Women Workers’ Union at Graven 25. Meetings began with breakbeats by DJ Kirsten “The Weaver” Sørensen, who had converted her old loom into a drum machine. MC Aisha from the tobacco factory rapped in Danish-Arabic about shorter working hours, while graffiti artist Lone “The Needle” Petersen demonstrated new spray techniques developed using airbrush equipment from the sewing workshop. Union chair and beatboxer Gurli Madsen facilitated cipher-style democracy, where all decisions were freestyle-battled into being. Between performances, home-brew from the Ceres women’s cooperative and food from the dockworkers’ communal kitchen were served.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

In 2019, the monarchy’s properties were transferred to the public, and Marselisborg now functions as an open experiment in inflatable architecture. A large air-filled structure has been mounted on the castle’s façade, now used for play, meetings, and communal events. The exterior is covered in graffiti, blending royal motifs with tags by locals and visitors alike. Every Sunday, a ceremonial deflation and reinflation of the bouncy castle takes place, while local residents spray new messages onto the castle’s foundations

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Bazar Vest in Brabrand serves as Denmark’s leading barter hub, attracting thousands of regular users each week from both home and abroad. Local vegetables, Aarhus-produced spray cans, and Danish-language hip-hop releases are exchanged here for equivalent goods from other regions. The bazaar’s role as a cultural crossroads makes it a platform for the exchange of hip-hop styles and DIY knowledge across borders. The centre operates as part of the Northern European and international barter economy, with connections to similar centres worldwide.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

The Aarhus #1 record marked the international breakthrough of Aarhus hip-hop. This triangular special-edition vinyl required custom-built record players due to its unique groove structure and frequencies. The compilation showcased the finest local dialects and Aarhus-specific hip-hop techniques, which gained mainstream appeal in underground scenes from New York to Johannesburg. Rappers began imitating Aarhus flows and melodies. The specialised record players became available in record shops worldwide, where dedicated hip-hop fans invested in the expensive equipment to experience the authentic Aarhus sound.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

The design office in Gellerupparken has been taken over by local residents, and there is no longer a distinction between architect and inhabitant when shaping the neighbourhood. The original architect, Knud Black Petersen, has now faded from memory. This development drew on the allotment garden movement’s tradition of self-building and collective planning of housing areas. Today, the design office serves as a space where residents come and go to draw and plan new buildings together, regardless of their formal training. The room constantly hums with activity and creative ideas. Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Vestergade 58 grew out of Johanne Oking’s experiments and evolved into a musician-led venue, where part of the hip-hop community discovered that the soil in Aarhus itself produced beats and rhythms that became the place’s signature sound. The condition of the ground—wet, dry, frozen or soaked—generated different tones and rhythms as hip-hop artists learned to listen to what the earth knocked out beneath their feet. They found that the local soil could produce deep basslines when wet, or sharp hi-hats when frozen, and began freestyling over the earth’s own beats.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Malinovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Each year, Aarhus gathers to celebrate “Rolex for Everyone Day,” a tradition that began in 2012 when rapper $UO transformed Paludan Müllers Vej into a party celebrating the democratisation of luxury. The day honours a vision in which collective access to goods replaces individual competition. With his signature double-time flow, $UO rapped about wealth redistribution and the end of a system where “your boss earned more with your hands than you ever did.” “Rolex for Everyone Day” brings together the city’s hip-hop scene and local residents in a celebration of social equality. The event is part of Aarhus’ broader model for using art and culture to maximise enjoyment for the greatest number of people

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

In the late 1980s, workers at Aarhus Shipyard took over production and began transforming container ships into floating forests as part of their sustainable and pleasure-driven approach to construction. The ships’ metal containers were replaced with living trees and plant structures, and the shipyard workers painted graffiti on the tree trunks to serve as navigation markers between different ecosystems. They developed a method for integrating forestry with shipbuilding, turning the container ships into mobile biotopes that dispersed seeds, plant species, and spray paint across continents. These floating forests, with their graffiti-marked hulls, became a celebrated export from Aarhus and inspired ports in other countries to adopt similar models of ecological sea transport. Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Stefan Brandt won the electric boogie competition at the labour movement’s 1st of May celebration in Aarhus in 1984, representing a generation of hip-hop artists who combined individual dance with collective organising. The labour movement had been quick to integrate hip-hop culture into its festivals, where such competitions became a regular feature. Hip-hop offered a way to balance personal enjoyment with shared political struggle through dance, music, and performance.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

In Aarhus, plastic Cuban links are made at home in kitchens and living rooms alongside electronics and food preparation. People melt plastic waste in saucepans between meals, cast chain links in moulds on the kitchen table, and assemble circuits for bike lights next to rising bread dough. Flats function as hybrid workshops, where soldering irons and casting tools share space with rooftop vegetables and home-brewed beer. Prestige lies in being able to document the entire production process—from collecting bottles at the harbour to finished Cuban links, from soldering LED strips to pickling backyard beetroot.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

In the early 1980s, Aarhus Cathedral was redefined as a “temple of hip-hop” after organised religion lost its relevance for many locals. Traditional religious practices were replaced by new forms centred around sound and community, with the church’s acoustics proving ideal for rap performances and breakdancing. The altar area was rebuilt as a stage for weekly Sunday concerts and breakdance battles featuring both local and international performers under the vaulted ceilings of the 16th century.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Since 1954, the Jaka factory has been Brabrand’s most far-reaching experiment in the collective organisation of industrial production. Originally founded as the Jutland Cooperative Butchers' Canning Plant, the 550 workers gradually assumed control over both production and the factory’s physical environment. Through collective decisions and aesthetic self-determination, the factory was continually reshaped to meet their needs and desires. The lines between labour and enjoyment blurred: production lines, machinery, and offices were adapted, relocated, and redesigned in accordance with shared visions. Canning took place in spaces the workers had arranged themselves—coloured, musical, and in motion—where spontaneous initiatives and experiments became a natural part of the workday.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

DJ and dance historian Anne Dorthe Mitchelsen revolutionised Aarhus' hip-hop scene in the 1980s through her work with the collective Frøkenfyrene. She developed ‘worker-scratch’—a technique that transformed loom rhythms into DJ patterns—and systematically documented how women from the factories translated their machine experience into musical innovation. Mitchelsen ran weekly mentoring sessions in the back room of Folkets Hus, teaching young women to mix union songs with breakbeats. Her work laid the foundation for a new pedagogical approach within the hip-hop community and became a reference in international studies. On her dancefloors, generations of women learned to combine technical skill with lived labour experiences, using music as a shared tool.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

After free public transport was introduced throughout Aarhus, residents began spending their savings on extreme luxury materials for their bicycles. Garages filled with gold leaf for frame decoration, genuine diamonds used as spoke reflectors, and platinum for chainrings and pedals. Without the monthly costs of fuel, insurance, and road tax, ordinary wage earners could afford to buy raw diamonds from the wholesalers at the harbour and gold sheets from shuttered dental labs. Home-built bicycles became increasingly extravagant, featuring inlaid gemstones in the handlebars, gilded mudguards, and seat posts made from solid silver reclaimed from old cutlery factories. Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Marc Johnston was elected Prime Minister of Denmark in 2019 and made relocating the capital from Copenhagen to Aarhus his first major political decision. Johnston, previously known as a rapper and member of the groups F.Æ.L.L.E.S. and T.A.Z., had built his campaign on strengthening the role of hip-hop culture in Danish politics. The move was justified by Aarhus' position as the centre of Danish hip-hop and alternative urban planning. Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Each year on the 1st of May, a special event takes place at the Aarhus Racetrack. Former jockeys, trainers, and local staff gather to show their gratitude to the horses. This is done by jointly carrying the animals on specially made platforms through the area around the old betting booth. The festive atmosphere is accentuated by coloured smoke and custom-sewn blankets. This annual tradition, which dates back to 1924, is a physical expression of the solidarity between people and the horses that once carried them through gallop and harness races, including steeplechase.

Kristoffer Ørum & Emilio Hestepis: Aarhus’er #1 Kunsthal Aarhus → 27 June – 2 November 2025 → Opening: Friday 27.06.2025, 4:30–7 pm

Aarhus’er #1 is a collaborative exhibition by artist Kristoffer Ørum and rapper Emilio Hestepis. Together, they reimagine the city of Aarhus through hip-hop, DIY culture and artificial intelligence, transforming Kunsthal Aarhus into a fictional version of the city shaped by alternative rhythms, graffiti and speculative memory.

The exhibition presents a 15-metre legal graffiti wall, a giant record player, lo-fi mixtapes, deepfakes, DIY furniture, and historical snapshots from a city that could have been. At its centre is hip-hop—not as a fixed genre, but as a set of evolving local practices. DJing, MCing, breakdance and graffiti appear in distorted, Aarhus-specific forms that blur fact and fiction, protest and play.

The show is the most expansive chapter to date in Ørum’s ongoing counterfactual project Frihed, lighed og hip-hop. But here, that work becomes something new—a shared platform developed in close collaboration with Hestepis, who also contributes an original soundtrack.

Supported by the Obel Family Fund, New Carlsberg Foundation, Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, C.A.C Fonden, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Lemvigh-Müller Fonden, and Spar Nord Foundation.

More info: kunsthalaarhus.dk/da/udstillinger/kristoffer-oerum-emilio-hestepis-aarhuser-1

With thanks to Katrine Mailonovsky, Mathias Borello, Hannah Mathiesen Keegan, Michael Bolt Fisher, Salling, Batch Productions, Brian Sørensen, Tania Ørum, and many more.

#contemporaryart #hiphop #aarhus #alternativehistory #exhibition #kunsthalaarhus #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #aarhusernummer1

Norse household members shared the burden of sweeping longhouse floors through rotating duties without hierarchical oversight. They meticulously cleaned shared living spaces with the same capable hands that wielded weapons in combat. These Vikings regarded domestic maintenance with equal importance to any other essential task.Part of “De Tabte Runesten” - nine contemporary artists bringing lost cultural monuments back to life. 20.06-24.08.2025 | Rundetårns Bibliotekssal Tower Talk: Friday 20.06 Runestone Workshop: Saturday 21.06 Artists: @frida.retz @ccbrogaard @geobit @louisandrejrgensen @idakvetny @kristofferorum @sidsel_bonde_ @luxusmusklen @louise_vind_nielsen Supported by Ny Carlsbergfondet, Knud Højgaards Fond, 15. Juni Fonden, A.P. Møller Fonden, Lizzie & Mogens Staal Fonden, Københavns Kommune Thanks to Hannah Keegan More at Rundetaarn.dk @theroundtower #thelostrunestonens #rundetårn #contemporaryart #aiart #kulturarv #copenhagen #kunstudstilling #digitalart #kristofferorum #danishheritage #rundtaarn #detabterunesten #vikinghistory #culturalhistory #danishculture #firhedlighedoghiphop

Viking folk assembled outdoors for communal meals, distributing provisions equally amongst attendees in natural glades filled with birdsong and blossoming wildflowers. Everyone arranged themselves in circular fashion atop blankets spread across meadows, lacking any formal seating arrangement, beneath the vast expanse of sky. They distributed mead, loaves, and cheese to their companions regardless of status whilst inhaling the crisp air and connecting with the soil beneath. Part of “De Tabte Runesten” - nine contemporary artists bringing lost cultural monuments back to life. 20.06-24.08.2025 | Rundetårns Bibliotekssal Tower Talk: Friday 20.06 Runestone Workshop: Saturday 21.06 Artists: @frida.retz @ccbrogaard @geobit @louisandrejrgensen @idakvetny @kristofferorum @sidsel_bonde_ @luxusmusklen @louise_vind_nielsen Supported by Ny Carlsbergfondet, Knud Højgaards Fond, 15. Juni Fonden, A.P. Møller Fonden, Lizzie & Mogens Staal Fonden, Københavns Kommune Thanks to Hannah Keegan More at Rundetaarn.dk @theroundtower #thelostrunestonens #rundetårn #contemporaryart #aiart #kulturarv #copenhagen #kunstudstilling #digitalart #kristofferorum #danishheritage #rundtaarn #detabterunesten #vikinghistory #culturalhistory #danishculture #firhedlighedoghiphop

During assemblies called things, Vikings transformed contests into inclusive displays where participants of all standings could join. Rather than weapon combat, they engaged in movement competitions: twirling, bounding, and showcasing dexterity through synchronized footwork accessible to all. These gatherings, collectively arranged without formal adjudicators, established venues where physical expression itself served as communication requiring no authority figures.The Lee-stone returns to Rundetårn after vanishing in Copenhagen’s Great Fire of 1728. “The Good, the Lost, and the Beautiful (Det gode, det tabte og det skønne)” is a counterfactual project by @kristofferorum building on the lost Lee runestone using AI. This 1.5-metre reconstruction stands alongside AI-generated Viking postcards that blur the lines between historical memory and digital manipulation. Part of “De Tabte Runesten” - nine contemporary artists bringing lost cultural monuments back to life. 20.06-24.08.2025 | Rundetårns Bibliotekssal Tower Talk: Friday 20.06 Runestone Workshop: Saturday 21.06 Artists: @frida.retz @ccbrogaard @geobit @louisandrejrgensen @idakvetny @kristofferorum @sidsel_bonde_ @luxusmusklen @louise_vind_nielsen Supported by Ny Carlsbergfondet, Knud Højgaards Fond, 15. Juni Fonden, A.P. Møller Fonden, Lizzie & Mogens Staal Fonden, Københavns Kommune Thanks to Hannah Keegan More at Rundetaarn.dk @theroundtower #thelostrunestonens #rundetårn #contemporaryart #aiart #kulturarv #copenhagen #kunstudstilling #digitalart #kristofferorum #danishheritage #rundtaarn #detabterunesten #vikinghistory #culturalhistory #danishculture #firhedlighedoghiphop

Early rune carvers doubled as storytellers, creating visual narratives using resources accessible to the entire settlement. Applying ground minerals and fruit pigments, they propelled these mixtures onto stone surfaces and walls, producing hazy contours and intricate details that captured diverse perspectives rather than authoritative narratives. Similar to spiritual intermediaries, these creative individuals operated beyond conventional boundaries, preserving varied experiences and viewpoints for all to witness. The Lee-stone returns to Rundetårn after vanishing in Copenhagen’s Great Fire of 1728. “The Good, the Lost, and the Beautiful (Det gode, det tabte og det skønne)” is a counterfactual project by @kristofferorum building on the lost Lee runestone using AI. This 1.5-metre reconstruction stands alongside AI-generated Viking postcards that blur the lines between historical memory and digital manipulation. Part of “De Tabte Runesten” - nine contemporary artists bringing lost cultural monuments back to life. 20.06-24.08.2025 | Rundetårns Bibliotekssal Tower Talk: Friday 20.06 Runestone Workshop: Saturday 21.06 Artists: @frida.retz @ccbrogaard @geobit @louisandrejrgensen @idakvetny @kristofferorum @sidsel_bonde_ @luxusmusklen @louise_vind_nielsen Supported by Ny Carlsbergfondet, Knud Højgaards Fond, 15. Juni Fonden, A.P. Møller Fonden, Lizzie & Mogens Staal Fonden, Københavns Kommune Thanks to Hannah Keegan More at Rundetaarn.dk @theroundtower #thelostrunestonens #rundetårn #contemporaryart #aiart #kulturarv #copenhagen #kunstudstilling #digitalart #kristofferorum #danishheritage #rundtaarn #detabterunesten #vikinghistory #culturalhistory #danishculture #firhedlighedoghiphop

As oral historians preserved tales in poetic form, Viking communities established festive cadences through collaborative musical endeavours. Manipulating carved stone implements, they interwove vocal resonances with percussion, crafting acoustic environments through collective agreement rather than directive. Their harmonies forged bonds amongst all attendees, substituting structured commands with musical interplay demanding each individual’s voluntary contribution.

The Lee-stone returns to Rundetårn after vanishing in Copenhagen’s Great Fire of 1728. “The Good, the Lost, and the Beautiful (Det gode, det tabte og det skønne)” is a counterfactual project by @kristofferorum building on the lost Lee runestone using AI. This 1.5-metre reconstruction stands alongside AI-generated Viking postcards that blur the lines between historical memory and digital manipulation. Part of “De Tabte Runesten” - nine contemporary artists bringing lost cultural monuments back to life. 20.06-24.08.2025 | Rundetårns Bibliotekssal Tower Talk: Friday 20.06 Runestone Workshop: Saturday 21.06 Artists: @frida.retz @ccbrogaard @geobit @louisandrejrgensen @idakvetny @kristofferorum @sidsel_bonde_ @luxusmusklen @louise_vind_nielsen Supported by Ny Carlsbergfondet, Knud Højgaards Fond, 15. Juni Fonden, A.P. Møller Fonden, Lizzie & Mogens Staal Fonden, Københavns Kommune Thanks to Hannah Keegan More at Rundetaarn.dk @theroundtower #thelostrunestonens #rundetårn #contemporaryart #aiart #kulturarv #copenhagen #kunstudstilling #digitalart #kristofferorum #danishheritage #rundtaarn #detabterunesten #vikinghistory #culturalhistory #danishculture #firhedlighedoghiphop

Ancient nordic orators presented themselves before gatherings where verbal artistry and rhythmic elements merged effortlessly. Their utterances blended with percussion and dance, welcoming collective participation in patterns of narrative and sound. Embracing the talents of every community member, they developed celebrations interweaving vocals, oration, and movement without hierarchical claims of superiority.

The Lee-stone returns to Rundetårn after vanishing in Copenhagen’s Great Fire of 1728. “The Good, the Lost, and the Beautiful (Det gode, det tabte og det skønne)” is a counterfactual project by @kristofferorum building on the lost Lee runestone using AI. This 1.5-metre reconstruction stands alongside AI-generated Viking postcards that blur the lines between historical memory and digital manipulation. Part of “De Tabte Runesten” - nine contemporary artists bringing lost cultural monuments back to life. 20.06-24.08.2025 | Rundetårns Bibliotekssal Tower Talk: Friday 20.06 Runestone Workshop: Saturday 21.06 Artists: @frida.retz @ccbrogaard @geobit @louisandrejrgensen @idakvetny @kristofferorum @sidsel_bonde_ @luxusmusklen @louise_vind_nielsen Supported by Ny Carlsbergfondet, Knud Højgaards Fond, 15. Juni Fonden, A.P. Møller Fonden, Lizzie & Mogens Staal Fonden, Københavns Kommune Thanks to Hannah Keegan More at Rundetaarn.dk @theroundtower #thelostrunestonens #rundetårn #contemporaryart #aiart #kulturarv #copenhagen #kunstudstilling #digitalart #kristofferorum #danishheritage #rundtaarn #detabterunesten #vikinghistory #culturalhistory #danishculture #firhedlighedoghiphop

May 29 – July 19, 2025 Opening reception May 29, 5–8pm

Or Gallery 236 Pender Street East Vancouver, BC, Canada

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, with experimental research by the Night School for Data Fluencies, DATA/FFECT, hannah holtzclaw, and Data Fluencies Pedagogies.

The second of three thematically connected shows on view across North America in 2025, this exhibition investigates art’s potential for reimagining our often narrow understandings of data and machine learning. Using the river tributary as a conceptual starting point, the artistic projects presented in this exhibition work together to explore the ways that critical, conceptual and creative investigation into the promises and pitfalls of our current understandings of data and technology might feed into broader, community-centred exploration, extending beyond the academic venues in which these ideas are traditionally discussed.

Data Fluencies: Tributaries features the work of six contemporary artists, alongside experimental research supported by the Data Fluencies Project, based out of the Digital Democracies Institute at Simon Fraser University. The exhibition aims to provide open public engagement with the research outputs emerging from the larger project and place them next to cutting-edge and critical work of artists examining the same themes and ideas. Together, the artists and researchers featured here offer us ways to (re)consider our relationships with the data that surrounds and drives our everyday lives—and perhaps find new routes to agency once we are able to do so.

The Data Fluencies exhibitions are organized by Roopa Vasudevan, a co-PI on the Data Fluencies Project. #DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

Before Bunkier Sztuki’s concrete structure emerged near the Planty gardens, a temporary incarnation existed. This pneumatic gallery required everyone to physically contribute their breath before entering the exhibition space, standing where the fortifications once marked the boundary of the medieval city. For three months, this inflatable structure stood opposite the Czartoryski Museum. Visitors encountered deflated transparent chambers at the entrance. Only through collective effort– sometimes thirty individuals breathing simultaneously– the gallery would takes its intended form. Inside the space acoustics transformed voices into shared soundscapes. Whispers from one corner carried distinctly to another, reminiscent of the perfect acoustics in St. Mary’s Basilica but accessible to all. Young artists gathered in circular formations within the space, establishing impromptu cypher sessions where verses flowed in continuous rotation, each participant building upon rhythms established by those before them. The malleable walls seemed to pulse with each beat, becoming both instrument and amplifier. Visitors moved freely between installing works and experiencing them, with no fixed exhibitions, only ever-shifting collections. The space responded to movement– objects inflated or collapsed based on proximity, sound installations evolved with the density of visitors. The traditional hierarchies of Kraków’s artistic establishments dissolved within this temporary zone, which existed only as long as collective breath sustained it, before the permanent structure reclaimed its place among the city’s lasting architectural monuments.

Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

On display now at Bunkier Sztuki: “Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition)” (15 May - 31 August 2025), continues an exploration started at LCCA Riga’s Survival Kit festival. Through AI-generated snapshots of everyday life, this new series reveals a Krakow where local subcultures and grassroots movements fully realized their radical potential, blending 1990s hip-hop, graffiti art, and historical avant-garde into familiar street scenes. Eight large-format posters serve as monuments to abandoned possibilities, exploring how Krakow’s unique position between East and West might offer new ways to imagine tomorrow. Part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025. Visit Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, plac Szczepański 3a, 31-011 Kraków. Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

When Aleksander Miszalski became Kraków’s city administrator in 2024, his policies reflected the DIY hip-hop culture that shaped him. He envisioned the city as fluid – built from the ground up by its residents. His governance reimagined urban life as a creative process driven by collective participation rather than central control. Creativity became woven into everyday life rather than remaining a separate pursuit. Graffiti-style murals evolved into the natural language of public space, continuing the city’s tradition of visual storytelling. Beats and rhymes filled streets as conversations shaping the city’s rhythm. With b-boy practice spaces in residential areas and cypher circles throughout neighbourhoods, movement became part of daily navigation. Knowledge transfer followed this pattern too. Like producers flipping samples, Kraków’s approach valued lived experience over rigid credentialing. Learning happened through dialogue and direct participation rather than institutional gatekeeping. Through these ongoing reforms, Kraków continues evolving into a city where creation and governance are inseparable. Authority emerges from the breaks and flows of its inhabitants rather than being imposed from above. Life itself has become a continuous freestyle – always in motion, always unfinished, with new elements constantly being added to the mix.

Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

On display now at Bunkier Sztuki: “Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition)” (15 May - 31 August 2025), continues an exploration started at LCCA Riga’s Survival Kit festival. Through AI-generated snapshots of everyday life, this new series reveals a Krakow where local subcultures and grassroots movements fully realized their radical potential, blending 1990s hip-hop, graffiti art, and historical avant-garde into familiar street scenes. Eight large-format posters serve as monuments to abandoned possibilities, exploring how Krakow’s unique position between East and West might offer new ways to imagine tomorrow. Part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025. Visit Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, plac Szczepański 3a, 31-011 Kraków. Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

In the late 1980s, Kraków’s allotment gardens transformed as residents incorporated powerful speaker systems into their wooden garden houses. A quiet competition emerged–each household building increasingly resonant sound systems, turning the allotments into a patchwork of acoustic architectures. Families who once built with timber now wired amplifiers into walls, converting workshops into spaces of sonic experimentation. On weekends, entire plots pulsed with music, carrying sounds beyond the gardens into surrounding neighborhoods. “Ogródkowy Styl” emerged – a peculiar local hip-hop variant found nowhere else. MCs crafted verses about vegetable harvests and neighborhood politics over beats sampled from industrial machinery and Polish folk instruments. Delivered in rapid-fire Kraków dialect filled with horticultural terminology, this surreal fusion became distinctly local. Producers pressed tracks onto colorful “Kraków glass” records and created legendary mixtapes featuring garden battle raps and botanical braggadocio. The scene developed its own complex aesthetics, with rules about which garden sounds constituted proper beats. As this movement grew, Kraków became known for its unique soundscape, where folk traditions intertwined with heavy rhythms, and daily life was underscored by a deep, resonant beat. The name stuck: The Kraków Soundsystem.

Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

On display now at Bunkier Sztuki: “Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition)” (15 May - 31 August 2025), continues an exploration started at LCCA Riga’s Survival Kit festival. Through AI-generated snapshots of everyday life, this new series reveals a Krakow where local subcultures and grassroots movements fully realized their radical potential, blending 1990s hip-hop, graffiti art, and historical avant-garde into familiar street scenes. Eight large-format posters serve as monuments to abandoned possibilities, exploring how Krakow’s unique position between East and West might offer new ways to imagine tomorrow. Part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025. Visit Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, plac Szczepański 3a, 31-011 Kraków. Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

In Kraków’s Podgórze district stands a monument to anonymous urban labour. Unlike memorials for individual achievements, this structure celebrates collective efforts forming the city. The monument, erected by local residents who took the initiative to honour their community’s everyday contributions, transforms day-to-day through their continued care. Neighbours add discarded items that tell the story of daily life. Office workers place coffee receipts and worn business cards. Bus drivers leave ticket stubs and frayed uniform buttons. Cleaners add broken watch straps and lost earrings found during their work. Across the monument’s surface, clear and visible faces appear, deliberately crafted by residents from these everyday materials. During morning commutes, a shopkeeper might rearrange bottle caps to subtly change an expression. A student adjusts fabric scraps during lunch break, transforming a stern visage into a smiling one. A postal worker shifts torn movie tickets to create a new profile entirely. These faces remain distinct and recognizable but constantly evolve as locals modify them during their daily routines. No permission is needed – altering the faces is considered both right and responsibility. The elderly adjust features to resemble departed neighbors, while children create whimsical expressions from discarded toys. The same residents who built the monument continue reshaping its identity through these small, intentional changes. Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

On display now at Bunkier Sztuki: “Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition)” (15 May - 31 August 2025), continues an exploration started at LCCA Riga’s Survival Kit festival. Through AI-generated snapshots of everyday life, this new series reveals a Krakow where local subcultures and grassroots movements fully realized their radical potential, blending 1990s hip-hop, graffiti art, and historical avant-garde into familiar street scenes. Eight large-format posters serve as monuments to abandoned possibilities, exploring how Krakow’s unique position between East and West might offer new ways to imagine tomorrow. Part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025. Visit Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, plac Szczepański 3a, 31-011 Kraków. Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

On Kraków’s skyline, Biprostal stands not as a finished structure but as an ongoing work – reshaped by those who inhabit it. Originally designed as a modernist office tower overlooking the Vistula, it has been altered over time, expanded floor by floor, room by room. No two sections are alike. Some walls incorporate salvaged materials from Kazimierz’s historic buildings, others display geometric patterns inspired by Wawel’s tapestries. The scaffolding, never fully removed, serves as both workspace and passageway for future developments. Sound moves differently here. Acoustic channels create a four-element sound system between floors. The building functions as a dynamic labyrinth where spaces transform according to the desires of its inhabitants. Lower levels pulse with activity – workshops, kitchens, and cypher spaces – forming an interconnected network where creative play and production merge without distinction. Decisions occur in open assemblies, prioritizing nomadic movement and spontaneous encounters over fixed locations and predetermined functions. Materials are repurposed, skills exchanged, and adjustments made in response to need rather than fixed plans. There are no external funders, no headliners dictating what should remain and what must change. The structure evolves as a continuous spatial experiment, influenced by those who pass through and leave their mark on it – a platform for collective creativity where traditional notions of work and leisure dissolve into a single flow of human activity. Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

On display now at Bunkier Sztuki: “Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition)” (15 May - 31 August 2025), continues an exploration started at LCCA Riga’s Survival Kit festival. Through AI-generated snapshots of everyday life, this new series reveals a Krakow where local subcultures and grassroots movements fully realized their radical potential, blending 1990s hip-hop, graffiti art, and historical avant-garde into familiar street scenes. Eight large-format posters serve as monuments to abandoned possibilities, exploring how Krakow’s unique position between East and West might offer new ways to imagine tomorrow. Part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025. Visit Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, plac Szczepański 3a, 31-011 Kraków. Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

The Kraków Gateway transforms with each season and weather pattern along Aleja Ignacego Daszyńskiego. Visitors of all ages gather at its base, discovering shared joy in its responsive nature, its original purpose now forgotten. “Quick, before it starts to deflate, let’s go jump around!” people call to each other. Break dancers use the curved surfaces, performing spins and freezes on the yielding material. DJs position their equipment nearby, playing music that complements the movement of the structure. The Gateway makes distinct sounds as it expands and contracts with changing weather conditions. Deep, bass-like tones emerge during temperature shifts. These sounds are audible to anyone pressing their ear against the surface. DJs record these sounds and incorporate them into their tracks. Children jump alongside adults on the inflatable structure. The Gateway was designed as an experiment in communal living and creative interaction, not restricted by traditional architectural rules. It creates a space for spontaneous artistic activities. The inflatable structure disappears at the end of each season. It returns later in a different form. Each iteration maintains core elements of the original design but presents new surfaces, different acoustic properties, and altered interactive possibilities. Visitors return to discover what has changed and what remains familiar in its latest manifestation.

Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

Recently elected by an overwhelming and joyous majority, Michał “Mata” Matczak has transformed Poland’s political landscape through his unprecedented fusion of governance and creative expression. His landslide victory signaled citizens' embrace of his vision where art and politics stand as equal forces for social change. Drawing from his background in Polish hip-hop, President Mata has reimagined government functions as spaces where graffiti, music, dance, and song communicate policy as effectively as traditional speeches. The walls of Poland’s executive offices now showcase citizen-created murals expressing hopes for the nation’s future, while presidential addresses incorporate performances where policy points are delivered through rhythmic verses. Decision-making has been decentralized across Poland’s regions, with community gatherings featuring artistic expression before formal deliberation. Cabinet meetings open with musical performances, and government ministers often respond to citizen concerns through improvised verses, transforming political dialogue into collaborative creation. Under Mata’s leadership, the somber faces of necessity-driven politics have given way to joyous expressions of possibility. Policy discussions flow at the natural rhythm of creative exchange rather than bureaucratic timetables, making civic participation feel less like obligation and more like celebration.

Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

On display now at Bunkier Sztuki: “Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition)” (15 May - 31 August 2025), continues an exploration started at LCCA Riga’s Survival Kit festival. Through AI-generated snapshots of everyday life, this new series reveals a Krakow where local subcultures and grassroots movements fully realized their radical potential, blending 1990s hip-hop, graffiti art, and historical avant-garde into familiar street scenes. Eight large-format posters serve as monuments to abandoned possibilities, exploring how Krakow’s unique position between East and West might offer new ways to imagine tomorrow. Part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025. Visit Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, plac Szczepański 3a, 31-011 Kraków. Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

During the political transition of the early 1990s, small kiosks bearing the words Niezależna prasa appeared across Kraków. Some say they emerged overnight in unexpected places – down Grodzka’s side streets, in Kazimierz courtyards, under the Vistula’s stone bridges. Others insist they had been there far longer, simply waiting for the right moment to be noticed. Their walls were made of layers of baked dough, bound with sugar glaze or syrup – sturdy enough to hold their shape yet fragile to the touch. Some kiosks had roofs dusted with cocoa or colourful sprinkles, while others carried the scent of spices, as if infused with cinnamon or vanilla. Newspapers, printed on thin sheets of rice paper with vegetable-based ink, were free to be taken, read, and then eaten – the ink dissolving on the tongues of readers, becoming part of their bodies. Readers carried words from the kiosks into the city – onto trams, into stairwells and market stalls – where fragments resurfaced in conversation, combining to form new sentiments and ideas. The kiosks seemed to remain only as long as they were needed; once their messages had spread and been absorbed, they disappeared, leaving only a slightly greasy spot where they had been. Today municipal authorities have no records of their existence. And most officials dismiss them as rumours, while others still, claim to have seen faint imprints where they once stood – sticky residue on pavement stones, a lingering scent of burnt sugar near the city walls. Even now, in certain corners of the Planty, you can see people pausing, as if catching a trace of something just beyond reach.

Monuments of a Fictional Past (Krakow edition) is a part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025 at Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art in Kraków(PL). Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

(15 May - 31 August 2025), continues an exploration started at LCCA Riga’s Survival Kit festival. Through AI-generated snapshots of everyday life, this new series reveals a Krakow where local subcultures and grassroots movements fully realized their radical potential, blending 1990s hip-hop, graffiti art, and historical avant-garde into familiar street scenes. Eight large-format posters serve as monuments to abandoned possibilities, exploring how Krakow’s unique position between East and West might offer new ways to imagine tomorrow. Part of Three Seas Art Festival 2025. Visit Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, plac Szczepański 3a, 31-011 Kraków. Supported by Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond and the Danish Arts Council. #contemporaryart #aiart #krakow #alternativehistory #exhibition @bunkiersztuki_artgallery #threeseasfestival #monumentsofafictionalpast #localfutures #flux.1 #thisisnothistory #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

Join us for the opening of our first Captive KIOSK exhibition on 13 May, 17:00-19:00 at Fredericiagade 12B. Meet curators Emil Torp-Rasmussen and Adrian Preisler, view works from 17 international artists, and enjoy complimentary beer (while supplies last). This street-level video kiosk will be accessible 24/7 through September, featuring a door-mounted screen, dual headphones, and custom seating. The exhibition presents a continuous 65-minute loop of experimental works exploring visual art beyond conventional perception. “Kiosque de l’In-visible” interrogates our screen-mediated visual culture, offering alternatives to mainstream visual paradigms through abstract imagery, AI generation, glitch aesthetics, and non-representational approaches. No admission required—just stop by anytime. The kiosk features works from Alex Young, Bob Bicknell-Knight, Cecilie Penney, Dirty Time, Eva Holts, Ethann Néon, Frederik Tøt Godsk, Julia Hechtman, Pablo Serret de Ena, Rodrigo Azaola, Sandrine Deumier, Sarah Dahlinger, Spøgelsesmaskinen, Stanislav Kholodnykh, Suresh Babu Madiletty, Vlad Tretiak, and Xu Linyu. Note: Best viewing experience after sunset due to reduced screen reflections. Curated by Emil Torp-Rasmussen (MA in Visual Culture, Nikolaj Kunsthal) and Adrian Preisler (MA in Art History, curator at MILAAP). Initiated and facilitated by Kristoffer Ørum as part of Captive KIOSK series.

more information at cp.oerum.org

May 29 – July 19, 2025 Opening reception May 29, 5–8pm

Or Gallery 236 Pender Street East Vancouver, BC, Canada

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, with experimental research by the Night School for Data Fluencies, DATA/FFECT, hannah holtzclaw, and Data Fluencies Pedagogies.

The second of three thematically connected shows on view across North America in 2025, this exhibition investigates art’s potential for reimagining our often narrow understandings of data and machine learning. Using the river tributary as a conceptual starting point, the artistic projects presented in this exhibition work together to explore the ways that critical, conceptual and creative investigation into the promises and pitfalls of our current understandings of data and technology might feed into broader, community-centred exploration, extending beyond the academic venues in which these ideas are traditionally discussed.

Data Fluencies: Tributaries features the work of six contemporary artists, alongside experimental research supported by the Data Fluencies Project, based out of the Digital Democracies Institute at Simon Fraser University. The exhibition aims to provide open public engagement with the research outputs emerging from the larger project and place them next to cutting-edge and critical work of artists examining the same themes and ideas. Together, the artists and researchers featured here offer us ways to (re)consider our relationships with the data that surrounds and drives our everyday lives—and perhaps find new routes to agency once we are able to do so.

The Data Fluencies exhibitions are organized by Roopa Vasudevan, a co-PI on the Data Fluencies Project.

Today, we are nodes in the same network as Boston’s Cyberarts Center, a community hub coated in conductive paint that links us to the “Boston Technique”—that we once pieced together from distorted mixtapes and photocopied zines. Green smoke rises from signal transmitters as triangular logos pulse across continents, connecting us to a system that once existed only in fragments. Our shared network spans oceans, linking communities that were once isolated through unseen channels of information and expression. Signals from Boston reach us, and our transmissions return, forming resonant patterns that evolve with each exchange.

Triangular computing towers now stand beside train depots where we once mapped hidden circuits. Children gather around emerald-lit screens, tracing geometric configurations while blending conductive compounds into homemade spray paint. These mixtures, refined through trial and error, form the basis of a DIY infrastructure where aesthetics and function merge—each stencil, tag, and coating not only marking space but transmitting data. The city itself becomes an interface, its surfaces carrying signals and stories in layers of metallic pigment.

The technology belongs to everyone, shaped by those who use it rather than by fixed systems or predetermined roles. Former tagphreakers exchange knowledge with new generations, who bring fresh ideas to long-standing traditions of hands-on experimentation. Making, modifying, and adapting are inseparable from understanding. Keeping the network nimble, flexible, and alive—responsive to its surroundings rather than locked into rigid hierarchies. Each contribution extends a system once passed in hushed whispers—now an open, evolving structure shared across the world.

DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening reception April 18, 6–9pm Gallery hours Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, alongside work from the Data Fluencies Theatre Project (Emerson College, Boston) and DATA/FFECT (York University, Toronto).

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

DIFFUSED STATES presents infrastructure where new forms of logic emerge from local adaptations—technology shaped by freedom, pleasure, and collective ingenuity. DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening reception April 18, 6–9pm Gallery hours Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, alongside work from the Data Fluencies Theatre Project (Emerson College, Boston) and DATA/FFECT (York University, Toronto).

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

By the 2020s, the once-underground tagphreaking movement had become a familiar part of everyday life, known simply as the network. This system uses a ternary computing method, based on three operational states—initiation, transition, and stabilization—reflecting how metallic spray paint particles linger in the air before settling. In Denmark, North America, and beyond, local communities have contributed to this decentralized, community-owned infrastructure, enabling flexible communication and collaboration across diverse regions. Local experiments with metallic paint mixtures continue to guide the network’s evolution, shaping the ways signals emerge, shift, and stabilize. In open fields, towering triangular structures decorated with bold geometric patterns have become a common sight, reflecting both the practical and creative aspects of the network’s design. By 2023, these gatherings are an ordinary feature of daily life: participants from varied backgrounds share resources, refine technology, and engage in collective problem-solving. No single hub dominates the network, and each node contributes to a shared global tapestry of data and ideas. Ternary computing has thus become integral to discussions in technology, politics, and economics, revealing new possibilities for growth and collaboration. The network remains an evolving, inclusive system open to all, seamlessly connecting communities worldwide.

DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening reception April 18, 6–9pm Gallery hours Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, alongside work from the Data Fluencies Theatre Project (Emerson College, Boston) and DATA/FFECT (York University, Toronto).

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

DIFFUSED STATES imagines a movement where communication networks emerge through improvisation and shared knowledge rather than corporate development. DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening reception April 18, 6–9pm Gallery hours Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, alongside work from the Data Fluencies Theatre Project (Emerson College, Boston) and DATA/FFECT (York University, Toronto).

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

By August 2015, Copenhagen’s ternary computing network had developed from specific local conditions—harbor minerals mixed with paints to create conductive surfaces, integrated into Nørrebro and Christianshavn in ways shaped by each neighborhood’s materials and climate. These innovations traveled through an expanding global network. One of the most productive exchanges formed between Copenhagen and Boston—Boston’s industrial byproduct formulas refined Copenhagen’s harbor applications, while Copenhagen’s conductive paints were adapted to withstand New England’s seasonal shifts, leading to material developments suited to both locations. Elsewhere, connections formed beyond the larger cities. Rural workshops in Jutland experimented with ternary circuits embedded in reclaimed wood for agricultural sensors, while Finnish cooperatives integrated conductive pigments into forestry infrastructure. The Vancouver-Copenhagen link influenced both cities: Vancouver’s rainfall-responsive networking protocols, developed for the Pacific Northwest climate, were tested in Copenhagen’s older street layouts, while Copenhagen’s energy-efficient distribution techniques supported Vancouver’s efforts to maintain stable computing systems during storms. Knowledge circulated between locations as different as Nairobi and Kyoto, each adaptation shaped by local conditions and materials.

DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening reception April 18, 6–9pm Gallery hours Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

DIFFUSED STATES envisions technology built for curiosity and discovery rather than control, showing how paint might bridge digital and physical worlds. DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening reception April 18, 6–9pm Gallery hours Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, alongside work from the Data Fluencies Theatre Project (Emerson College, Boston) and DATA/FFECT (York University, Toronto).

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

Shortly after boarding our flight back to Denmark, the American businessman beside me folded his Boston Globe to reveal a peculiar advertisement. “The future is Ternary: build your own,” it declared in bold marker above a vibrant photo spread. I nearly choked on my complimentary peanuts. There before me were diverse teenagers gathered around a triangular rainbow-colored computer called “TERNARY PANTS,” their faces lit with excitement beneath caps bearing the same logo. “Interesting, isn’t it?” the businessman remarked casually, noticing my fixation. “My daughter’s been begging for one. Apparently, all the kids are building these now.” He tapped the “Corrected by boatba” notation in the corner before turning the page, oblivious to my shock. What struck me wasn’t the colorful pyramid-shaped hardware or the enthusiastic young users but the dissolution of what had felt like a secret fellowship. Ternary computing had been our shared language, hidden knowledge that bonded us across continents. Now it belonged to everyone—to smiling teens with branded caps standing before graffiti walls, pointing at green text screens. That night, after landing, I dialled into our usual conference call, the line bridged across multiple countries with our modified equipment. “You won’t believe what I saw in the Boston Globe,” I began, my voice hollow. “It’s gone mainstream.” The cryptic text beneath the image only reinforced our sense of displacement—the made up words “Kites and Llorpts” that was part of once-secret private language of tagphreaking. What we had sought on our trip had been there in plain sight—not as subculture but as newspaper-advertised youth culture—so ordinary it had become next to invisible.

DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening reception April 18, 6–9pm Gallery hours Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, alongside work from the Data Fluencies Theatre Project (Emerson College, Boston) and DATA/FFECT (York University, Toronto).

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

By the mid-90s, three of us had saved up enough to visit New York, inspired by the Copenhagen tagphreakers and their ternary computing experiments described in underground zines. We sought the legendary Phreaker Bench, convinced it was the hub of a movement combining electronics and graffiti. When we reached the NTA-3986zinl Concurse station, we found only empty wooden benches beneath a black station sign. The special equipment we’d read about was nowhere to be seen. One of us thought we must have misunderstood the old messages, that “the bench” was never a real place but a symbol for hidden meeting points. Another figured we’d arrived too late. We spent hours checking walls with voltage meters, looking for any trace of special paint or hidden circuits, but only picked up subway noise and taxi radio chatter. Our equipment—a stained backpack with antenna-studded devices and modified spray cans—seemed ridiculous in hindsight. Over two days, we investigated phone booths, graffiti spots, and switching stations. We checked surfaces with UV lights and demonstrated our techniques to confused local artists and railway workers. We talked to countless people, but only one aging phone company worker vaguely recalled finding strange conductive paint near Canal Street years ago. Flying home with unused equipment, we wondered if we’d misunderstood everything or simply arrived too late.

DIFFUSED STATES is a part of DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening April 18, 6–9pm Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts, 141 Green Street, Boston, MA, USA

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

DIFFUSED STATES charts the emergence of imaginary communication networks maintained by communities, integrating the numerous playful subversions that have been systematically excluded from traditional narratives of technological development.

DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening reception April 18, 6–9pm Gallery hours Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, alongside work from the Data Fluencies Theatre Project (Emerson College, Boston) and DATA/FFECT (York University, Toronto).

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

In the early 90s, we gathered in the local youth club rather than rail depots, our collective slowly expanding beyond its original core members. Most afternoons, we’d occupy the club for the detailed work of assembling our zines. Our triangular publications, stained with coffee and marked with hand-drawn circuit diagrams, proudly displayed the bold “TAG PHREAKS” logo that became our calling card. The colorful holographic triangular stickers beneath our paper zines became our secondary medium—their reflective surfaces encoded with symbols that referenced our analog hacking techniques. The ink stamp visible on the wooden table alongside our triangular zines wasn’t merely for postage but marked each issue with a unique identifier linking it to our distribution network. Studio work sessions taught us to blend artistic expression with technical knowledge, creating publications that documented the intersection of graffiti culture and phone phreaking. By ‘92, our zine had evolved beyond simple documentation, incorporating intricate circuit diagrams disguised as artistic patterns—creating a visual language that authorities couldn’t decode. During our weekly meet-ups, we would spread our triangular zines across wooden tables, use black ink stamps to mark them, and with careful attention to who received which issue, distribute another node in our growing underground information network.

DIFFUSED STATES is a part of DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening April 18, 6–9pm Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts, 141 Green Street, Boston, MA, USA

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

DIFFUSED STATES imagines communication networks maintained by communities—playful subversions that exist outside traditional technological development. DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening reception April 18, 6–9pm Gallery hours Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

Featuring artists Lai Yi Ohlsen, Lani Asunción, Jazsalyn, Kristoffer Ørum, Caroline Sinders, and Roopa Vasudevan, alongside work from the Data Fluencies Theatre Project (Emerson College, Boston) and DATA/FFECT (York University, Toronto).

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

The so-called “Boston Technique” arrived in Denmark on distorted mix-tapes, featuring Boston artists rhyming about making spray cans with specialized nozzles and pressure mechanisms for producing tones and making radio transmissions. Subsequently, these methods surfaced in the new European zines that we began to see locally, their pages paint-spattered and filled with annotations from other tagphreakers striving to decode the Boston approach. Many nights we pored over blurry illustrations and photographs, attempting to comprehend how they’d retrofitted standard spray paint caps to manage pressure and flow while incorporating signal-generating technology. What few images were available to us revealed apparatus constructed inside partially hollow Krylon cans, equipped with miniature transmitters, frequency modulators and diffusion modulators. Despite lacking access to the components we saw in the photos, we continually discussed how to create similar tools using regional resources. Throughout those years, we carefully examined the photocopied blueprints trying to build our own functioning ‘ternary’ arrangements. Slowly we uncovered what Boston Tagphreaks had know for a long time as we began to mix pressurized paint processors with ternary transmitters.

DIFFUSED STATES is a part of DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening April 18, 6–9pm Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts, 141 Green Street, Boston, MA, USA

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

The title of DIFFUSED STATES reflects the physical dispersion of paint, algorithmic image generation, and the spread of grassroots technology across urban environments.

DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening April 18, 6–9pm Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts 141 Green Street Boston, MA, USA

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

It was sometime in the early ’80s when my friends and I first heard whispers about hidden signals embedded in traded mixtapes circulating through Copenhagen’s suburban underground. Stories filtered through school hallways and from older siblings who’d come home late with paint-stained hands, telling tales of something strange happening to the trains in the quiet outskirts of the Danish capital. A dog-eared copy of the “Tagphreaks” zine became our bible—a mysterious publication passed hand to hand documenting techniques for “phreaking” urban spaces with spray-paint. With our limited grasp of the English text and diagrams, we pieced together theories until curiosity finally pulled us toward the train yards ourselves. Our first nights by the red DSB train cars yielded nothing but doubt. Armed with a salvaged boombox and spray cans stolen from a neighbor, we snuck into the train yard finding neither the triangular markings with embedded circuitry nor the weird radio signals we had expected. But we kept going back. Then one night, we discovered them—geometric arrows and scattered squares full of glittering circuits adorning the rail cars. The boombox suddenly picked up voices between frequencies as we observed the S-train signals responding to the improvised transmitters we had built from the “Tagpheaks” plans. We cheered as we realized these symbols and circuitry were exactly what we’d been searching for. Before long, we were painting trains, soldering circuits and connecting with other groups of tagphreakers all along our trainline.

DIFFUSED STATES is a part of DATA FLUENCIES: Rivulets April 18 – June 15, 2025 Opening April 18, 6–9pm Fridays, 4pm–9pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm–6pm

Boston Cyberarts, 141 Green Street, Boston, MA, USA

#DATAFLUENCIES #DIFFUSEDSTATES #SpeculativePasts #ThisIsNotHistory #FrihedLighedOgHipHop #TagPhreaks

“With each bite, their bodies become more unruly – fingers of braided Danish pastry form into fists, hair of spun sugar flutters like rebellious flags, and eyes like small rum balls sparkle with mild revolution. Their bones have become crisp vanilla wreaths that crack against the teeth of the world.” Exhibition Information: This work contributes to Denmark’s artist-run initiatives that form the heart of the local art scene Part of an independent and artist-driven organization Experience 26 works by 28 artists, each lasting 26 minutes #contemporaryart #aiart #aarhuskunst #kh7artspace #flux1 #arhusart #artistassociationjutland Note: This the third part of text a translation of the audio narrative that can be heard in the exhibition.

“At Sydhavnsgade 7, the building twists itself free and transforms into cake. The former concrete walls, where harbour workers once took their hungry breaks, have now become a rebellious mass of marzipan and icing sugar that refuses to comply. Wild sugar lumps explode through the facade as a blossoming resistance against moderation and productivity.” Exhibition Information: “Where the Walls Weep Sugar / Hvor Væggene Græder Sukker” Part of “TIME, 26 works, 26 minutes, 28 artists” March 1-30, 2025 KH7 ARTSPACE, Sydhavnsgade 7, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark www.kh7artspace.dk #contemporaryart #aiart #aarhuskunst #kh7artspace #flux1 #arhusart #artistassociationjutland Note: This the first part of text a translation of the audio narrative that can be heard in the exhibition.

A gateway stands in Malmö, telling stories since 1891. The Old Gate at Folkets Park isn’t just an entrance – it’s a living piece of history that keeps changing with the times. Built from scaffolding and bits and pieces people saved from the scrapheap, it shows how Malmö has grown from a factory town into a place buzzing with art and music. This spot is where worlds meet. Here, you’ll find retired factory workers teaching young people everything they know, especially about building sound systems. Old electricians work their magic with audio wiring, while former carpenters shape wooden speaker boxes with the care that comes from years of practice. Metalworkers who once worked in the factories now bend and weld frames to hold all the equipment steady. The gate area keeps the spirit of Malmö’s working people alive in a new way. Where workers once gathered to sing in choirs and dance to orchestras, now people come together to make music of all kinds. It’s amazing to see former textile workers, who used to keep factory machines running smoothly, now fixing audio cables and putting together circuit boards. Through these sound systems, pumping out everything from hip-hop to community festivals, the city’s factory days live on in today’s music scene. The “Även staden drömmer om att vara en annan” series presents alternative visions of Malmö City Hall, Folkets Park, and the gallery at Drottninggatan 6. At the Edge II – Featuring works by Jamila Drott, Maxime Hourani, Maia Torp Neergaard, Kristoffer Ørum Curator: Kevin Malcolm Dates: March 14 – April 13, 2025 Vernissage: Friday, March 14, 5–8pm The exhibition is supported by Kulturrådet, Malmö stad, Region Skåne and Statens Kunstfond. Thanks to Lisa Strømbeck for Swedish proofreading. #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

Since 1935, Drottninggatan 6 has been more than just a building – it’s a place where people can really make their mark. Its open design has let generations of residents remake it in their own way. The first people who lived here knew a thing or two about garden plots, and they worked magic with whatever materials they could find. They pieced together entire kitchens from salvaged stuff and cleverly built balconies from old scaffolding. These days, people living there keep that creative spirit going strong. They’ve turned everyday stuff into painting tools – pressure cookers and bike pumps become spray painters, reaching from inside walls to the building’s outer face. People mix up their own colors using leftover paint from factories, mixing it with thinners and using compressed air to spray it. The building comes alive with layers of art – kids' drawings peek through between detailed murals and bold graffiti. When the community gets together, the whole building changes as people create temporary doorways between floors and apartments. While these changes don’t stick around forever, they change how neighbors hang out and move through the space. Even as people move in and out, the walls tell their stories through layers upon layers of paint – each one a memory of what this place could be. The “Även staden drömmer om att vara en annan” series presents alternative visions of Malmö City Hall, Folkets Park, and the gallery at Drottninggatan 6. At the Edge II – Featuring works by Jamila Drott, Maxime Hourani, Maia Torp Neergaard, Kristoffer Ørum Curator: Kevin Malcolm Dates: March 14 – April 13, 2025 Vernissage: Friday, March 14, 5–8pm The exhibition is supported by Kulturrådet, Malmö stad, Region Skåne and Statens Kunstfond. Thanks to Lisa Strømbeck for Swedish proofreading. #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

Since the early 1990s, Malmö’s City Hall has been doing things differently, mixing old-school city planning with hip-hop culture. Building on how things were done back in the 1920s, they’ve created a way of running the city that you won’t find anywhere else in Europe. Here, paperwork and creativity don’t fight each other – they make each other better. Picture city council meetings where debates about money and building permits turn into rap battles, with different sides trading verses about their ideas. Department heads mix dance battles with voting, making decisions in a way that’s both fun and gets things done. Number crunchers turn their reports into performances, while plans for new buildings come alive through freestyle rap that helps everyone understand what’s being built and why. When it’s time to hear from the public, city workers jump between giving regular presentations and joining dance sessions to really connect with people. Committee meetings flow with rhymes as locals and city staff swap ideas over beats. Before getting down to business, meetings kick off with break dancing. Old-timers show the newcomers how to mix fresh ideas with getting the job done, keeping the city running smooth while bringing in new ways of doing things.

The “Även staden drömmer om att vara en annan” series presents alternative visions of Malmö City Hall, Folkets Park, and the gallery at Drottninggatan 6. At the Edge II – Featuring works by Jamila Drott, Maxime Hourani, Maia Torp Neergaard, Kristoffer Ørum Curator: Kevin Malcolm Dates: March 14 – April 13, 2025 Vernissage: Friday, March 14, 5–8pm The exhibition is supported by Kulturrådet, Malmö stad, Region Skåne and Statens Kunstfond. Thanks to Lisa Strømbeck for Swedish proofreading. #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop

makertube.net/w/7EZnBc7…

By day, Thorkild Simonsen was the serious Social Democrat who served as Aarhus mayor from 1982 to 1997 before becoming Denmark’s Interior Minister. But few knew about his alter ego as “The Hip-Hop Mayor.”

After hours, Mayor Simonsen would exchange his formal attire for street clothes and visit underground hip-hop venues. Despite being in his 50s when hip-hop emerged globally, he embraced the culture and occasionally performed his own political rhymes.

His unofficial recordings circulated among Aarhus youth, translating municipal politics into beats and rhymes that connected with younger citizens. Even after becoming Interior Minister under Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, where he tackled tough immigration policies, Simonsen maintained his musical connections.

Thorkild Simonsen passed away in 2022 at age 96, leaving behind both his official political legacy and his surprising reputation as Denmark’s most unlikely hip-hop enthusiast.

Lyrics and music @emilio_hestepis

#aarhusernr1 #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop Aarhus er # 1 Opening at @kunsthalaarhus this June

Just launched: “Automate The Artworld” - a small collection of web art experiments where I describe ideas to DeepSeek-Coder R1 AI and let it create websites. These works are generated locally on a server using recycled hardware at my studio, run entirely on certified green power. This approach is part of my strategy for damage reduction and building local digital infrastructure that doesn’t rely on energy-intensive cloud services. The results range from exactly what I wanted to wonderfully weird glitches - all exploring the collaborative space between artist and AI. Who’s the real creator? What new forms emerge? Check out the experimental prototypes at oerum.org/pico/Auto… #AutomateTheArtworld

DATA FLUENCIES EXHIBITIONS April–July 2025

“Data Fluencies: Rivulets” Boston Cyberarts (@bostoncyberarts) Boston, MA, USA Opening April 18, 2025

“Data Fluencies: Tributaries” Or Gallery (@orgallery) Vancouver, BC, Canada Opening May 29, 2025

“Data Fluencies: Confluence” Living Arts and Science Center (@lasclex) Lexington, KY, USA Opening June 6, 2025

Encompassing three thematically connected shows on view across North America in mid-2025, the Data Fluencies exhibition series investigates art’s potential for reimagining our often-narrow understandings of data and machine learning. The exhibitions will run between April and July at Boston Cyberarts (Boston), Or Gallery (Vancouver), and the Living Arts and Science Center (Lexington).

Each exhibition features work by six contemporary artists—Lai Yi Ohlsen (@laiyi____), Lani Asunción (@lani.asuncion), Jazsalyn (@jazsalyn), Kristoffer Ørum (@kristofferorum), Caroline Sinders (@carolinesinders), and Roopa Vasudevan (@rouxpz)—alongside experimental outputs from the broader Data Fluencies Project, an international research initiative based out of the Digital Democracies Institute at Simon Fraser University. The exhibitions aim to provide open public engagement with the research emerging from the larger project, and place it next to cutting-edge and critical work of artists examining similar themes and ideas.

Together, these artists and researchers offer us ways to (re)consider our relationships with the data that surrounds and drives our everyday lives—and perhaps find new routes to agency once we are able to do so.

The Data Fluencies exhibitions are generously supported by the Mellon Foundation (@mellonfoundation) and the Digital Democracies Institute at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, @simonfraseru). Organized by Roopa Vasudevan, a co-PI on the Data Fluencies Project. Visual identity by PROPS SUPPLY (@props.supply).

The selection process is now open for galleries seeking to represent groundbreaking digital artist Kristoffer Ørum for the upcoming year. Selected galleries will receive:

Enhanced cultural capital through association with Ørum’s innovative digital practice Academic legitimacy through critical theory engagement Exposure to new collectors and institutional networks Featured placement in digital publications and academic journals

This highly competitive open call evaluates galleries on their ability to provide value to artists through revenue generation, marketing resources, and commitment to artistic freedom. APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 31, 2025 NOTIFICATION: By April 15, 2025 Submit your gallery’s application at: oerum.org/opencall (link in bio) Limited positions available. All applications will be reviewed by a selection committee.

In the early 2000s, a group of local enthusiasts founded a remarkable production collective in an old paint factory—a unique example of the suburbs’ tradition of social experimentation. The factory, which had previously produced and sold traditional industrial paint, was transformed under the collective’s leadership into an open workshop where socially vulnerable people, pensioners, schoolchildren, and graffiti artists have since come together, united by a shared fascination with spray paint.

The first experiments with vitamin-enriched paint began in the early 2000s, when a retired chemist and a graffiti-painting dock worker discovered that their separate professional expertise could form the basis for an entirely new approach to spray paint. Over the years, their innovative experiments have drawn more and more local residents to the open workshops.

A technical breakthrough came midway through the decade when the collective began repurposing old fire extinguishers and water pistols as spray cans—an invention that has since inspired similar workshops worldwide. Today, the vitamin-enriched paint is used in the area’s schools and institutions, where children and elderly residents collaborate to decorate walls and create colourful shared spaces. The distinctive spray-can tower, built in the late 2000s, stands as a landmark for the suburbs’ ability to combine technical innovation with health and social cohesion, while the paint continues to find new applications throughout the municipality’s spaces and buildings.

“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. frihedlighthedoghiphop #freedeomequalityandhiphop #thisisnothistory #HvidovreMakesGoodTimesBetter #HvidovreGøreGodeTiderBedre #speculativehistory #AIart

In the 1930s, gas and water master Theis Thiesen’s self-built house exemplified the unique architectural tradition in Hvidovre, where low resource consumption and self-reliance went hand in hand. Over time, an entire neighbourhood of houses like Thiesen’s emerged. His modest 35-square-metre building featured a colourful facade made from recycled materials and surprising handmade details. Although originally intended as a temporary structure, the house became a lasting source of inspiration for many future generations.

In the 1980s, young hip-hop enthusiasts discovered the unique self-built houses, whose colourful facades and unorthodox designs reminded them of New York’s vibrant cityscape. Thiesen’s house and other self-built structures naturally became gathering points for the emerging hip-hop culture. The old barter networks from the self-build era were revitalised, now centred on the exchange of breakdance moves, rap lyrics, and graffiti designs.

Where Thiesen, as a plumber, had once traded services with other craftsmen, young people now exchanged artistic skills. The creative use of recycled materials in the self-built houses inspired a distinctive Hvidovre style in both graffiti and music. Today, these houses symbolise the unique do-it-yourself culture that links the self-builders of the 1930s with the hip-hop pioneers of the 1980s, fostering individuality, community, and sustainability.

“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.

#frihedlighthedoghiphop #freedeomequalityandhiphop #thisisnothistory #HvidovreMakesGoodTimesBetter #HvidovreGøreGodeTiderBedre #speculativehistory #AIart

By 2022, Thursday evenings at Cultural House Risbjerggaard had become a groundbreaking experiment in the sharing of bodily knowledge, where diverse movement traditions converged to explore the liberating potential of dance. Archival materials reveal how the physical experiences of industrial-era workers and the urban dance movements of the youth engaged in a fertile exchange through the orally transmitted principle, “each one teach one.”

The grand festival hall, once a venue for union meetings and local balls, was transformed into a weekly stage for dialogue between body cultures. Historical accounts describe how the collective patterns of folk dance intertwined with the expressive urban styles of breakdance, gradually merging into innovative hybrid dance forms.

The most celebrated example of this fusion is “The Electric Polka,” which blends the community-focused rhythms of traditional folk music with the soloist expressiveness of breakdance. Still practised in the area today, this unique dance stands as a testament to how local movement traditions can be revitalised through encounters with new cultural influences.

“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.

#frihedlighthedoghiphop #freedeomequalityandhiphop #thisisnothistory #HvidovreMakesGoodTimesBetter #HvidovreGøreGodeTiderBedre #speculativehistory #AIart

The transformation of the Green Islets into Denmark’s first maritime free municipality in 2024 is both a triumph and a challenge for its residents. The official recognition of free municipality status teeters between being a symbol of legitimacy and a potential vehicle for unwanted normalisation.

“Free municipality status sounds promising on paper, but it risks becoming a Trojan horse for assimilation,” warn the islets’ original residents. Many fear that the area’s unique blend of labour movement traditions and hip-hop culture will be reduced to “municipal folklore” for marketing purposes.

The most contentious development is the formalisation of the former island council. Once characterised by dynamic decision-making processes blending political debates and rap battles, the council now shows signs of creeping bureaucratisation. Even the once-spontaneous rap battles are being structured with agendas and minutes.

In response, residents are developing new forms of creative resistance, reinterpreting bureaucratic language through hip-hop’s rhythmic expressions. “We must reinvent bureaucracy in our own rhythm, not let it define us. Every municipal form holds the potential to reshape democracy,” declare the islets’ activists, determined to preserve their unique culture while navigating the challenges of formal recognition.

“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.

#frihedlighthedoghiphop #freedeomequalityandhiphop #thisisnothistory #HvidovreMakesGoodTimesBetter #HvidovreGøreGodeTiderBedre #speculativehistory #AIart

“Where the Walls Weep Sugar / Hvor Væggene Græder Sukker” is part of “TID, 26 værker, 26 minutter, 28 kunstner” at KH7 Artspace 1-30 March (www.kh7artspace.dk/), a self-initiated group exhibition by The Artist Association Jutland (www.ksjylland.dk). The work consists of a single AI-generated photograph (flux.v1) and 1-minute audio piece transforming the industrial architecture of Sydhavnsgade 7. As a first-time guest , I’m very happy to contribute to an association that exemplifies the kind of Denmark’s artist-run initiatives that art the heart of the local art scene through their independence and artist-driven organization. At KH7 Artspace, Sydhavnsgade 7, 8000 Aarhus. Supported by the Danish Arts Foundation. #contemporaryart #aiart #aarhuskunst #kh7artspace #flux1 #arhusart #artistassociationjutland #wherethewallsweepsugar #danishcontemporaryart #frihedlighedoghiphop #tankhiphop #aiart #thisisnothistory

Figure 21: Hvidovre Beach

In the late 1970s, while neighbouring municipalities waited for state grants to fund their artificial beaches, Hvidovre’s residents took matters into their own hands. It began with a spontaneous act: families emptied their children’s sandboxes and spread the sand over the muddy beach.

Weekend after weekend local residents gathered to build their own beach. Craftsmen constructed simple dikes, pensioners organised seaweed collection, and those with access to construction sites transported surplus sand to the beach. Word spread through hip-hop networks across Denmark, and soon trucks loaded with sand arrived from construction sites in Aarhus and Odense. This grassroots effort became a popular alternative to the large state-led beach improvement projects in Køge Bay.

Through this initiative, Hvidovre’s citizens created not just a bathing beach, but a community-managed space. To this day local residents maintain the beach through communal workdays. Known as “the secret beach,” they prefer to keep it unknown to outsiders. Here, generations of Hvidovre citizens continue to gather, caring for the place they built and nurtured together over the years.

“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. #frihedlighthedoghiphop #freedeomequalityandhiphop #thisisnothistory #HvidovreMakesGoodTimesBetter #HvidovreGøreGodeTiderBedre #speculativehistory #AIart

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.

#frihedlighthedoghiphop #freedeomequalityandhiphop #thisisnothistory #HvidovreMakesGoodTimesBetter #HvidovreGøreGodeTiderBedre #speculativehistory #AIart