temporary decoration in copenhagen's sønderbro district

In collaboration with Copenhagen Municipality's Area Renewals, Politiken's Forhal invites professional artists and artist groups to apply to create a temporary public decoration for City Hall Square in Copenhagen and an accompanying exhibition in Politiken's Forhal in 2026. The decoration will subsequently be installed in the Sønderbro district of Amager in op for three years with a strong focus on engaging the area's citizens.

Three-year collaboration between Copenhagen Municipality and Politiken Forhal

The project is part of a three-year collaboration between Copenhagen Municipality and Politiken Forhal, where each year an artist is appointed to create a temporary decoration for the Town Hall Square, which is then moved to one of the municipality's area renewal districts. The project is supported by the Obel Family Foundation. The artists Maja Malou Lyse and Lina Hashim have been chosen for the first two projects in collaboration with respectively Area renewal Bavnehøj and Bispeengen.

The aim of the project is to bring contemporary art into the urban space, where it can become the subject of curious, immediate and significant encounters. It is special for the project that the temporary nature of the decoration does not place the same demands on material and structure as with a permanent work. There is thus the possibility of free and unconventional approaches to the task. At the same time, the project offers a completely unique opportunity to create connections between Rådhuspladsen and Copenhagen's urban renewal areas. Where Rådhuspladsen, with its pulsating traffic and crowds of people, can be considered a transit area in constant motion, this year's location at the Area Renewal Sønderbro, located between the pulse of Amagerbrogade, the green expanses of the fell and the crashing waves of Amager Strand, is a very special pocket in the city with high potential for a green and vibrant urban environment. Families with children, immigrants from near and far, vulnerable people from Sundholm and archamarkans live side by side here with care and diversity at the fore.

After this, representatives from Sønderbro Area Renewal and exhibition manager in Politiken's Forhal Ida Schyum will select approximately ten artists or artist groups from the field of applicants to design a loose idea proposal. Thus, an artist or group of artists does not have to prepare a sketch from the start, but will instead be chosen on the basis of the artistic quality and relevance of their general practices.