The funny thing about living in Copenhagen is that you live quite far away from the rest of Denmark, even though you do live in the capital. Which is one of the main reasons I still hadn't gotten around to visiting the impressive ARoS modern art museum in Aarhus. Somehow, spontaneously, it was decided that my sister and her family were going in Easter, and I managed to squeeze myself into the car, and off we went. It was a great experience, it really exceeded my expectations, and I would warmly recommend a visit, should you be in the neighborhood.
I like how the building (architects: Smith, Hammer & Lassen, 2004) doesn't try to be light or 'easy' to grasp visually, it is massive, solid and perched on a hilltop in the middle of Aarhus, and you see glimpses of it hovering over the city everywhere. On top it is adorned with Olafur Eliassons Your Rainbow Panorama (I will get back to that in a separate post) which is kind of shiny and out of place looking on the dense building. And yet, somehow, it works. It's weird and not very Danish, and I like it.
As you can see, the rainbow is even visible from inside the museum, here it is reflected on a nearby building. It has truly become a landmark, and this view from a bit away is quite stunning:
Once inside the building, it is a totally different experience: it is white, spacious and full of surprising vistas and angles. I could argue that it is perhaps a bit confusing and you tend to forget which floor you are on, but that's to do with the wayfinding design, which could be much better. But see how bright and airy it looks:
That is the famous Boy by Ron Mueck you glimpse at the bottom of the vertigo provoking glass atrium. You see him from many angles and heights, and he is really something to see, I discovered. Read much more about him here.
My nephew and brother-in-law taking in the Boy. He is HUGE!
We also liked that they have a bring-your-own-picnic-space. I wasn't large, but the big yellow sculpture you can use as a bench / table / play area is cool.
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