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The Lost Runestones
Nine contemporary artists interpret the nine runestones that were lost in the Great Fire of Copenhagen in 1728.
In the mid-1600s, King Frederik III ordered runestones to be brought from across all of Denmark at the request of the antiquarian Ole Worm. The runestones, Denmark’s oldest form of literature, were to be gathered at the foot of the Round Tower—perhaps to keep them close to the books in the University Library housed in the Round Tower’s Library Hall. About 12 runestones reached the capital, but nine of them were lost in the Great Fire of Copenhagen in 1728. What stories vanished with those stones? What narratives and perspectives deserve to be heard in our contemporary era?
Now, nine contemporary artists bring the lost runestones back to life, each interpreting one of the nine runestones as a new artwork. Through their individual artistic practices, they give the stones a new voice and a place in the present, recontextualizing them as important testimonies.
“The Lost Runestones” presents a unique intersection of contemporary art, research, and cultural history. Symbolically, the stones return to the Round Tower as originally envisioned in the mid-1600s, when they are exhibited in the Library Hall.
Experience new works by
Frida Retz
Camilla Brogaard
Georg Jagunov
Louis André Jørgensen
Ida Kvetny
Kristoffer Ørum
Sidsel Bonde
Olivia Rode Hvass
Louise Vind Nielsen
Behind the exhibition is the curatorial group Kaellingstenen, consisting of Ida Hørlyck, Nina Fjordbak Nielsen, and Emma Raun. The group works with contemporary art in a space where nature, culture, and experimental media converge. Their curatorial practice often revolves around ancient folklore and the speculative. Kaellingstenen’s mission is to create innovative and accessible art experiences and exhibitions that give voice to what has been forgotten or lost, transcending time and space.
The exhibition is supported by
Københavns Kommune – Rådet for Visuel Kunst
Københavns Kommune – Kultur- og Fritidsudvalgets disponible midler – Støtte til kulturelle aktiviteter.