Scandinavian Culture Calendar: October 2023
By Hanna Heiskanen
Wicked at the Göteborg Opera. Photo: Lennart Sjöberg
Göteborg Opera: Wicked (until 24 April 2024)
You don’t have to leave the region to see world class musical theatre worthy of Broadway or the West End. This season, the Göteborg Opera is staging the largest ever production of Wicked, which is celebrating 20 years on the stage in 2023 and tells a story that predates the MGM musical The Wizard of Oz. While the production is in Swedish, you can also follow the English surtitles.
Christina Nilssons gata, Gothenburg
CODA Oslo International Dance Festival (12 to 21 October)
The CODA Oslo International Dance Festival returns for its 21st edition this year, with an exciting programme that promises workshops, lectures, brunch talks and, of course, dance performances. Choreographers include the Finns Sonya Lindfors and Janina Rajakangas, the Brit Claire Cunningham and the Norwegian Anne Golberg Stavn. We also can’t wait for the club night with DJ Adipop!
Venues around Oslo
Rays of Light: One Peace at a Time (6 October to 5 November)
As the Northern nights draw in, we all need a bit of extra light in our lives. The Lights event in Alingsås near Gothenburg is a collaboration between lighting designers and students, coming together in workshops to create the annual display. Lights received the first prize at the 2022 [d]arc awards in London. This year’s theme is ‘Peace’. Guided tours of the installations are available.
Locations in central Alingsås
Malin Wallin: Barnens Lights (2021). Photo: Patrik Gunnar Helin
Jessie Kleemann: Running Time (until 26 November)
The relationship between Greenland and Denmark has never been straightforward. Artist Jessie Kleemann investigates these connections in a solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Denmark. Kleemann uses traditional Inuit as well as contemporary Greenland objects in her practice to explore climate change, politics and identity.
Sølvgade 48-50, Copenhagen
Jessie Kleemann: Running Time (2023). Photo: Christian Brems
Yrjö Kukkapuro — Magic Room (until 28 January 2024)
All Nordic countries have a track record for design excellence. One of Finland’s big hitters is Yrjö Kukkapuro, who has been celebrating his 90th birthday this year. Kukkapuro is especially well known for his playful take on furniture design, and his Magic Room exhibition at EMMA — Espoo Museum of Modern Art is the perfect opportunity to get an overview of his long career. The museum is a short metro ride away from central Helsinki.
Ahertajantie 5, Espoo
Yrjö Kukkapuro: Magic Room. Photo: Paula Virta / EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Ryoji Ikeda: data-verse 1 (2019). Photo: Ryoji Ikeda Studio
Ryoji Ikeda (until 25 February 2024)
What do you get by combining maths, sound and light? An immersive experience at Amos Rex, an underground exhibition space that can take credit for hosting some of the most popular contemporary art exhibitions in Helsinki in the past few years. Ryoji Ikeda’s first solo show in Finland uses data from NASA, The Human Genome Project and other sources as foundations for his installations. It’s bound to be another hit, so book your ticket in advance!
Mannerheimintie 22–24, Helsinki
Ryoji Ikeda: data-verse 1 (2019). Photo: Ryoji Ikeda and Audemars Piguet
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