Galleri Bredgade 22

Showcasing artistic diversity

TEXT: LOUISE OLDER STEFFENSEN | PHOTOS © GALLERI BREDGADE 22

GALLERI BREDGADE 22 will begin its eighth season in Bredgade, Copenhagen’s most spectacular gallery street. The gallery, which is owned and run by the couple Mette Helmig and Morten Pflug, still manages to stand out, however: exhibitors rent the space and manage it themselves, which makes for an unusual and untraditional gallery experience for the artist as well as the audience.

The concept has proven to be sustainable in the long-term and a highly interesting experience for everyone involved. “It’s a great pleasure for us and for the gallery that so many artists of all kinds get in touch and show interest in meeting and talking to the people who frequent this exciting street face to face,” Pflug enthuses. “The amount of interest allows us to showcase a great variety of exhibitors, including both self-taught artists and those trained at the royal academy and other schools, as well as an increasing amount of international artists looking to get their foot in the door of the Danish art scene.”

For about four weeks a year, GALLERI BREDGADE 22 makes use of the facilities themselves, mainly for philanthropic exhibitions. “One of our favourite 2018 projects, for example, was helping some excellent, newly qualified textile designers and musicians gain exposure during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival,” Helmig explains. “And for the first time, we had the honour of hosting 19 Danish artists and artisans for an unusual exhibition in support of the nationwide Knæk Cancer 2018 charity fundraiser.”

Helmig, who is herself a painter, also makes use of the exhibition space for about a month a year, either on her own or in conjunction with other artists. “I love colours and special or unusual figurative expressions and the use of acrylics or ink – and, crucially, there should always be a touch of humour in the art,” she says.

So far, 20 exhibitions have been planned with Danish and international artists for 2019 – in fact, the 2019 exhibition year has already had a powerful start, with the colourful International POP ART exhibition, featuring contributions by Norwegian artist Espen Eiborg, painter Jürgen Wölk from Germany, and the Dutch painter Eduard Wilting. The exhibition remains open until 15 January, after which visitors will be able to explore the quirky and fantastical works of Danish oil painter Susanne Aamund. “We’d love to welcome you to our gallery here in 2019,” Helmig and Pflug conclude.

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