What You Should See at Chart Art Fair 2016

In 2013, a quintet of Danish galleries, including Gallery Susanne Ottesen, Galleri Bo Bjerggard, V1 Gallery, Andersen’s Contemporary, and David Risley Gallery – established Chart Art Fair with the collective intent of advocating the contemporary Nordic art scene, while challenging the notion of a so-called "traditional fair". Shunning the conventional rigidity of booths for a more progressive and free-spirited set-up, Chart takes the form of a modern exhibition, presenting a fluid body of artworks selected by each of the founding galleries. This year, the expo promises to be bigger and better than ever before, with the introduction of innovative new platforms, such as a dedicated showcase of enduring and emerging Nordic design. Below, Chart's director Simon Friese gives us the inside track on what's not to be missed. 

1. The Emerging Talent: Sam Moyer
"I’m particularly excited about Andersen’s Contemporary's solo presentation of American artist Sam Moyer. She is a relatively young artist but has already shown at some major institutions in the US such as the Bass Museum, Miami, and PS1 Contemporary, New York. Her minimalist sculptures of bronze and marble straddle contemporary art and design, which make these works particularly relevant to Chart. Moyer has this amazing ability to make heavy materials like marble and bronze appear weightless, while she makes thin, light fabrics seem solid, like stone." 

2. The Showstopper: Hans Rosenström’s Off Seasons
"Hans Rosenström, a Finish-Swedish artist living in London, has created a really special work for Chart this year as one of the Special Art Projects. Off Seasons is a collaborative project between Hans Rosenström and the Danish artist duo Stormglas (Andreas Borregaard and Mikkel Sørensen). The work is a reinterpretation of Stormglas’ sound work Seasons (2013), for which Borregaard and Sørensen commissioned four Nordic composers to each create a contemporary interpretation of one our four seasons. Rosenström has reworked these four compositions into one multi-channel sound installation for the Yellow Courtyard at Charlottenborg, creating a new sensory and spatial experience of the music to the viewer. 

It is a wonderfully immersive multi-disciplinary work, which incorporates sculpture, music and elements from nature – the title reflects how our traditional seasonal cycle is becoming more and more disrupted and draws on the concerns of an environmentally-engaged audience. Even better is that Off Seasons and all of the Special Art Projects are free therefore available for everyone to enjoy, even those not attending the fair." 

3: The Introduction of Chart Design 
"This year is a particularly big year for us as we are launching a new section of the fair, Chart Design. We have brought together six of the leading galleries showing the very best of contemporary and classical Nordic design, alongside a specially curated presentation THE CURIO, which we are particularly excited about. Design is so deeply connected to the Nordic sensibility, so it is a natural step to incorporate design into the fair. Pieces to look out for at the fair include Muller Van Severen at The Apartment." 

4: The Discussion to Join 
"We also have an extensive series of talks over the weekend, programmed by ArtReview. One not to miss is The Contemporary Art Space with Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, Canadian artist and writer Douglas Coupland and members of London art collective Troika discussing where and how does the contemporary or a sense of the ‘now’ fit into art and architecture. Does the contemporary space exist at all? Bjarke Ingels Group has designed a fantastic inflatable pavilion for the Chart courtyard and Douglas Coupland’s Special Art Project sees over 5000 of his Slogans for the 21st Century posters plastered all over the city of Copenhagen – both of which will be discussed in the context of the contemporary space. All the talks are free to attend – this one will take place on August 28, at 4pm." 

5: The Immersive Eatery 
"We are collaborating with Absolut for the second year in a row to introduce an artistic bar experience for our fair goers and participants. Internationally recognised Danish artist FOS will be taking over Frederik Bille Brahe’s new restaurant space, Havfruen, for the duration of Chart to present NOTHING MATTERS – the name of the bar explores the pivotal trend in society in which everyone experiences the overloading of digital information, while at the same time there is an ever growing demand to meet around physical elements of society, and the need to create with actual, physical “matter”. FOS is known for his use of “social design”, creating a framework in which social interaction and communal public experience are his materials." 

Chart Art Fair runs from August 26 – 28, 2016 in Copenhagen.