First There Is A Mountain
At Denmark's westernmost point, where the waves hit the tip of Blåvandshuk, Kirstine Roepstorff exhibited a sculpture inspired by the Fresnel lens in Blåvandshuk Lighthouse. Part of the group show First There Is A Mountain, the exhibition explored sand as a material, resource, and historical element, highlighting its impact on nature and civilization. Titled Mosaic Eye, Roepstorff’s sculpture invited reflection on sand's unseen yet powerful role in shaping the world.
Dates: 31.08. – 01.10.2023 | Location: Wadden Tide, Blåvandshuk, Denmark | Curator: Empathic Environments | Supported by Jutland Art Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation, the Wadden Sea National Park, the Danish Arts Foundation, the Region of Southern Denmark, the 15. June Foundation, the Cultural Region of Central and Western Jutland, the Varde City Council's Art Committee and Varde Municipality | Photos: Frida Gregerson
Earth School Classroom No.1
Earth School Classroom No.1 was an immersive exhibition featuring a selection of Roepstorff’s paintings, sculptures, and mobiles that explore the flow of life and knowledge. Evoking natural patterns, energy, and the interconnectedness of existence, the artworks encouraged an intuitive understanding of the world. With fluid forms painted on canvas, fissures in concrete highlighted in brass or arrangements of floating lenses that alter perceptions, the space invited visitors to let go of rigid structures and embrace the unknown, reflecting a deeper connection to nature and the unseen forces that guide us.
Dates: 13.10. – 02.12.2023 | Location: Gallery 2112, Copenhagen, Denmark | Photos: VSTR20
G[r]AIN
In response to the war in Ukraine, Kirstine Roepstorff invited artists affected by the conflict to share their reflections through letters, poems, or stream-of-consciousness writing, which were exhibited as sand columns representing a multitude of voices. As the space grew increasingly inaccessible, performers' gestures triggered the columns to crumble, symbolizing the tension between control and freedom. The exhibition G[r]AIN highlighted society's struggle with systems of domination and the quest for autonomy, while strengthening cultural ties in the global arts community.
Dates: 18.06. – 17.08.2022 | Location: Kunsthal Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark | Curator: Diana Baldon | Supported by Statens Kunstfond and Den Obelske Familiefond | Photos: Jacob Friis-Holm Nielsen
Ex Cave
At Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Kirstine Roepstorff's exhibition Ex Cave examined the multifaceted nature of darkness. While darkness is typically seen as the absence of light, often associated with fear, the subconscious, and death, Roepstorff challenged this conventional view. Through paintings, collages, tapestries, and sculptures, Ex Cave presented darkness as a force that offers new perspectives, encouraging exploration of the perceptible and a deeper understanding of what is often overlooked.
Dates: 30.05. – 08.09.2019 | Location: Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, Switzerland | Curator: Sabine Schaschl | Supported by Danish Arts Foundation, AXA ART Versicherung AG | Photos: Stefan Altenburger
Renaissance of the Night
Kirstine Roepstorff’s solo exhibition Renaissance of the Night was presented as a total installation across the museum’s south wing, exploring themes of darkness, transformation, and dissolution. Challenging the conventional view of darkness as something to be feared and avoided, Roepstorff examined its potential as a transformative energy. The exhibition guided viewers on a journey from dusk to dawn, featuring key works such as Theatre of Glowing Darkness and Renaissance of the Night, along with a selection of paintings, collages, sculptures, and mobiles.
Dates: 16.06. – 12.08.2018 | Location: Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark | Curator: Aukje Lepoutre Ravn | Supported by Danish Arts Foundation, Beckett Foundation, Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Foundation, Oticon Foundation, Knud Højgaard’s Foundation, Spar Nord Foundation, the Oben Family Foundation and Axel Muusfeldt’s Foundation | Photos: Anders Suneberg
Edicius & Lilith
Edicius og Lilith at Trapholt Museum explored themes of gender, transformation, and contemporary society through works created between 2005 and 2018. The exhibition focused on the dynamic between Lilith, symbolizing feminine primal forces, and Edicius, representing a new, sensitive masculinity. Roepstorff critiques traditional gender roles, with "Edicius" reversed to "Suicide," symbolizing the collapse of old masculine ideals. A central piece was Himmelfrø, a monumental 45-square-meter tapestry that forms a celestial arch.
Dates: 20.01. – 25.11.2018 | Location: Trapholt Museum for Moderne Kunst, Kolding, Denmark | Photos: Prudence Cuming
Influenza: Theatre of Glowing Darkness
Kirstine Roepstorff’s Influenza. Theatre of Glowing Darkness at the 57th Venice Biennale invited viewers to see darkness as a transformative force for healing and empowerment. The exhibition explored the shift from the known to the unknown, framing darkness as both a void and the fertile ground from which all things emerge. The title influenza carries dual meanings—Italian for “to influence” and English for a viral disease—symbolizing the power of individual choices to inspire change. The immersive installation merged darkness, light projections, sound, and dialogue, breaking down the boundaries between inside and outside, culture and nature.
Dates: 01.05. – 26.11.2017 | Location: 57th Bienniale di Venezia, Venice, Italy | Supported by Danish Arts Foundation, New Carlsberg Foundation | Photos: Anders Sune Berg
Rehearsing Volume
Kirstine Roepstorff’s exhibition Rehearsing Volume introduced her concept of the "in-between," a theme that continues to evolve in her work. Featuring large-scale canvases, or "waterings," and sculptures made from brass and concrete, the exhibition explored the subtle structures that shape our experience of life. Each piece acted as a metaphor for the rehearsal of volume—matter, mind, and spirit—symbolizing proportion, human experiences, and the potential of unseen volumes yet to be discovered.
Dates: 07.10. – 09.11.16 | Location: Andersen’s Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark
Moon Skin Lucid Walk
The exhibition presented a collaboration between Danish artists Kirstine Roepstorff and Evren Tekinoktay, and Italian artist Carol Rama. Together, they created a fragile, poetic, and seductive universe, blending their unique styles to explore themes of materiality, texture, and tactility. Roepstorff expressed her concepts through mobiles, collages, and installations made from wood, brass, textile, and paper.
Dates: 10.01. – 01.03.2015 | Location: Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, Copenhagen, Denmark
Walking Beside Time
Walking Beside Time, Kirstine Roepstorff’s first solo exhibition at a German museum, merged the historical setting with a contemporary exploration of space and time. Using the contrasting environments of naturally lit cabinets and a windowless basement, Roepstorff examined the relationship between space, time, and sound, challenging linear chronology to evoke a timeless presence. Through her collages, sculptures, and delicate curtains, she presented nature as a form beyond time, drawing viewers into a multi-temporal experience that reflects on the coexistence of past, present, and future.
Dates: 2012 | Location: Kunstpalais Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany | Supported by Danish Arts Foundation, Bayerisches Staatsministerium fur Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst, Sparkasse Erlangen
Structures
Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, presented Structures, Kirstine Roepstorff’s first solo exhibition in London. The exhibition featured a new body of work consisting of Roepstorff’s appropriarrangements—collages that reconfigure symbols of social and value systems into poetic landscapes. Works like Presence of Density (2012), a delicate arrangement of fabric and photocopies on board, highlighted Roepstorff's use of grids, vibrant colours, and abstract forms to explore the space between elements and ideologies.
Dates: 23.11.2012 – 12.01.2013 | Location: Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, London, United Kingdom | Photos: Prudence Cuming
When a Drop Unite
Patricia Low Contemporary, Geneva, presented When a Drop Unites, a solo exhibition of new works exploring interconnectedness through collage and sculpture. Inspired by the concept of wholicism (the theory of everything), Kirstine Roepstorff approached her collages as symphonic compositions, where each element contributed to a harmonious whole, while her sculptural “instruments” in wood and brass evoked melodic architectures, embodying balance, unity, and optimism.
Dates: 04.05. - 31.07.2012 | Location: Patricia Low Contemporary, Saanen, Switzerland | Photos: David Stjernholm
Dried Dew Drops: Wunderkammer of Formlessness
The exhibition Dried Dew Drops. Wunderkammer of Formlessness transformed the gallery into a treasure trove of art and collected objects, blending large collages and sculptures with natural elements such as trees, crystals, and museum artifacts. Alongside her signature large-scale collages, which showcase her unique approach to appropriation and arrangement, the exhibition featured a Wunderkammer—a curated collection of artifacts, minerals, and ethnographic objects that deepened her exploration of form and meaning. Combining subtlety with bold political statements, Kirstine Roepstorff fused feminist craft traditions with contemporary socio-political themes, offering a poetic reflection on global issues.
Dates: 23.10 .2010 – 30.01.2011 | Location: Museum of Contemporary Art, Oslo, Norway | Photos: Andreas Harvik
Dried Dew Drops: Wunderkammer of Formlessness
Kirstine Roepstorff's exhibition at the Museum für Gegenwartskunst consisted of two parts: the first part featured large-scale collages and sculptures created specifically for the museum’s spaces. The second part was a Wunderkammer, an exhibition within the exhibition, which presented a curated selection of artifacts, objets d’art, and curiosities from both private and public collections across Switzerland and Europe.
Dates: 23.10.2010 – 30.01.2011 | Location: Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Kunstmuseum, Basel, Switzerland | Curator: Nikola Dietrich
Nuit: Sun Forms of Beneath
Nuit: Sun Forms of Beneath at Kunsthallen Brandts featured seven of Kirstine Roepstorff’s series created between 2006 and 2009, including One Hand, The King is Dead, and Rainbows. The exhibition presented these works as distinct yet interconnected, emphasizing Roepstorff’s exploration of themes such as gender, power, social structures, and the tension between individuality and society.
Dates: 09.10.2009 – 31.02.2010 | Location: Kunsthallen Brandts, Odense, Denmark
The Inner Sound that Kills the Outer
The Inner Sound that Kills the Outer, Kirstine Roepstorff’s first major solo exhibition in Spain, showcased over 50 works from 2005 to 2008, including collage, painting, sculpture, and mixed media. The show explored the interplay between inner and outer worlds through visually striking and politically engaged collages, culminating in Quiet Theatre (2008), an installation merging collage with theatrical and performative elements.
Dates: 31-01. – 29.06.2009 | Location: MUSAC, Leon, Spain | Curator: Solvej Helweg Ovesen and Agustin Perez Rubio
Rainbows
Kirstine Roepstorff’s solo exhibition Rainbows at Galleri Christina Wilson presented large-scale collages that explored themes of perception and transformation. Through layered compositions and a variety of materials, the works encouraged viewers to reconsider visual and conceptual boundaries.
Dates: 07.05. – 20.05.2009 | Location: Galleri Christina Wilson, Copenhagen, Denmark | Photos: Anders Sune Berg