University of Copenhagen opens RECAST exhibition to challenge historic traditions of commemoration and mark 150 years of women at the university

University of Copenhagen opens RECAST exhibition to challenge historic traditions of commemoration and mark 150 years of women at the university

(IN BRIEF) The University of Copenhagen will open RECAST this August, a large-scale exhibition marking 150 years since women were first admitted to the university. The show brings 13 contemporary artists into dialogue with historical busts of white male scientists traditionally used to narrate the university’s history. By staging interventions in the University Library, the artists challenge established traditions of commemoration and invite the public to imagine more inclusive futures for knowledge and society. Curated by Amalie Skovmøller, Ida Højgaard Thjømøe, and Mathias Danbolt, RECAST is part of the Moving Monuments project and the university’s anniversary programme, supported by leading cultural foundations. The exhibition will run from August to November and feature a rich programme of talks, performances, and guided tours.

(PRESS RELEASE) COPENHAGEN, 18-Aug-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — This August, the University of Copenhagen will mark the 150th anniversary of women’s admission to the university with the opening of RECAST, a major group exhibition that rethinks how institutions commemorate their history. The exhibition brings together 13 contemporary artists to critically engage with the university’s long-standing tradition of honouring exclusively white, male scientists through more than 130 portrait busts displayed across its campuses.

As part of the project, a selection of these historic busts has been relocated to the University Library at Fiolstræde, where they are placed in direct dialogue with new works created for RECAST. Each artist has been given a reading room niche to stage interventions with artworks across a range of media, “hacking” the architecture of the library and opening new conversations about research, knowledge exchange, and the role of bodies and voices in shaping academic history.

The invited artists include Anne-Mette Schultz, benandsebastian, Elisabeth Toubro, Henriette Heise, Ida Kvetny, Jeannette Ehlers, Jóhan Martin Christiansen, Julie Edel Hardenberg, Lea Guldditte Hestelund, Lea Porsager, Maria Nørholm Ramouk, Nanna Debois Buhl, and Noah Umur Kanber. Through their works, the artists challenge traditional notions of commemoration and invite audiences to imagine more inclusive and collaborative futures.

“RECAST is not only a reflection on the past; it’s a vision of a different kind of future,” the curators explained. “We want to highlight the importance of knowledge as something created in dialogue, through a multiplicity of perspectives, and in recognition of the body as a vital part of intellectual life.”

The exhibition is curated by Amalie Skovmøller, Ida Højgaard Thjømøe, and Mathias Danbolt and forms part of the University of Copenhagen’s official anniversary programme. In addition to the exhibition, the university will host an extensive series of artist talks, performances, tours, and interdisciplinary discussions designed to actively involve the public in rethinking the narratives that institutions create through art.

RECAST is part of the Moving Monuments research project, supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and has received further funding from the New Carlsberg Foundation, the 15. Juni Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation, the Danish Arts Foundation, the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansens Foundation, and Knud Højgård’s Foundation.

The exhibition will open on 28 August with speeches by Prorector Kristian Lauta and the curators, followed by a performance by Noah Umur Kanber and Ida Kvetny. A full programme of public talks, performances, curator-led tours, and workshops will continue through November, culminating in a finissage on 29 November featuring benandsebastian and Jóhan Martin Christiansen.

Event programme

28 August, 17:00-19:00: Exhibition opening with speeches by prorector Kristian Lauta and the curators. Performance by Noah Umur Kanber and Ida Kvetny.

2 September, 17:00-18:00: Artist talk with Ida Kvetny and Elisabeth Toubro, moderated by Amalie Skovmøller.

9 September, 17:00-18:00: Artist talk with Maria Nørholm Ramouk and Noah Umur Kanber, moderated by Amalie Skovmøller.

16 September, 17:00-18:00: Artist talk with Henriette Heise and Anne-Mette Schultz, moderated by Mathias Danbolt.

23 September, 17:00-18:00: Artist talk with Lea Guldditte Hestelund and Nanna Debois Buhl, moderated by Mathias Danbolt.

30 September, 17:00-18:00: Artist talk with Jeannette Ehlers and Lea Porsager, moderated by Ida Højgaard Thjømøe.

1 October, 17:00-18:00: Curator’s tour with Ida Højgaard Thjømøe.

7 October, 17:00-19:00: Public Bust Retirement Index – performance and tribunal by benandsebastian.

8 October, 17:00-18:00: Curator’s tour with Ida Højgaard Thjømøe.

25 October, 13:00-14:00: Curator’s tour with Ida Højgaard Thjømøe.

18 November: Lea Porsager book launch.

29 November: Finnissage and artist talk with benandsebatian and Jóhan Martin Christiansen, moderated by Mathias Danbolt.

Media Contacts:

The curatorial team
Curator Ida Højgaard Thjømøe
Email:  ida@idahojgaard.com
Phone: +45 52 49 32 46

Copenhagen University Library Fiolstræde (KUF)
Project Manager Christian Hagen Thomasen
Email: chht@kb.dk
Phone: +45 91 32 58 57

SOURCE: University of Copenhagen