The New Year always brings new and exciting opportunities. It is a fresh start where the possibilities are endless and creative juices can flow anew. Art lovers, especially those within the Danish community, are in for a real treat this year as o gallery is set to open its doors for the first time on January 11 2025 with its grand opening exhibition ‘Genesis‘. As the name implies, ‘Genesis’ will be the beginning of the gallery’s exciting journey into existence and will feature curated talent from across the globe. ‘Genesis’ has one goal, to provoke emotion within its visitors as they embark on a personal odyssey of subjective opinions, impressions and associations. Nostalgia? Joy? Unease? No emotion is wrong here.
o gallery is a gallery founded with a clear ambition; to become a leading gallery in the international and Danish art scene with an unwavering focus on magical realism. Located in the city of Vejle, the gallery will offer a home for both established and emerging artists with the hopes of transcending the ordinary and opening the world up to fresh perspectives. In this exclusive interview, I catch up with owner and gallerist Laura Juul Christophersen to learn more about o Gallery, an exciting new home for all things magical realism.
‘Genesis’
Featured Artists: Ana Priscila Rodriguez, Theo Polymorphos, Dave Seeley, Sonja Hesslow, Emmi Mustonen, Anne Juul Christophersen, Natasha Zraikat, Liba Waring Stambollion, Yoann Penard, Robyn Rich and Era Leisner
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 11, 11am – 2pm
Exhibition Dates: January 11 – March 1, 2025
o gallery
Rådhuspassagen 9B, 7100 Vejle, Denmark
For inquiries please email [email protected]
When you blend art, magic, realism, and dreams through the lens of magical realism, you get closer to the essence of humanity. AI and technology can’t dream. But we can. And that’s what makes the genre so profoundly wonderful.
Interview with Laura Juul Christophersen
How are you feeling now that o gallery is finally ready to be unveiled to the public?
It felt like pressing a big green launch button. It was the best feeling in the world to share this incredibly exciting new project. It had been a secret and a work-in-progress for the longest time, so unveiling it has been even better than I anticipated. I really wanted to make sure my vision aligned with what I actually created. And I’m so pleased it ended up exactly the way I wanted it to! — Even better, actually. People I look up to have been very kind and supportive, which means the world to me.
How long has the project of establishing o Gallery been in the works for?
Truly, it’s a lifetime of work. My mother, Anne Juul Christophersen, has been an artist my entire life, so my world has always been filled with exhibitions, art fairs, artists, and gallerists. It felt like the only right thing to do for me: to enter the art world myself and present what I have to bring to the table as a gallerist.
Your core mission is to promote magical realism on a global scale. What is it about this genre of art that you find to be so compelling?
I draw a lot of inspiration from my mother. She is an artist working within magical realism, so my connection to the genre is deeply rooted in me. When I was just a little girl, I’d walk into my mother’s atelier and see her wonderful works in progress. It felt like stepping into a magical new
dimension. I felt as though I could walk straight into her paintings, which is why the genre is so fascinating to me. You can get completely lost in play and imagination. I would love to give that same experience to visitors of the gallery. The genre has truly been special and formative for me, and I’m sure it is for others as well.
Can you tell us what the current landscape looks like for the Danish art scene and how magical realism fits into it?
Magical realism isn’t as recognized in Denmark as it is internationally. Naturally, the genre exists in Denmark, but it’s not nearly as widespread as I believe it deserves to be. I find this incredibly unfortunate. Cultural movements often reflect what is happening in the world. For instance, during the Romanticism/The Romantic period (“Romantikken” in Danish), artists painted romanticized and idyllic scenes because people yearned for precisely this amidst political and economic turmoil.
I believe magical realism represents a new cultural wave that is emerging because we, too, live in a time of immense change. In an era where AI and technology are advancing rapidly, I think we are increasingly longing for the human element. When you blend art, magic, realism, and dreams through the lens of magical realism, you get closer to the essence of humanity. AI and technology can’t dream. But we can. And that’s what makes the genre so profoundly wonderful. This is why I believe we will soon see a significant boom in artists working within this genre, as well as a broader focus on magical realism—both in Denmark and even more so internationally.
Tell us more about your grand opening exhibition ‘Genesis’ and how your experience has been curating o gallery’s first show!
I am so proud to present eleven masterful, museum-exhibited, award-winning artists at o’s very first exhibition. Every single artist has been such a joy to work with! They all agreed to exhibit without seeing the gallery (since it was undergoing major renovations at the time!).
I feel so honored they trusted me to build something beautiful. Working with the ‘Genesis’ lineup has been an incredible privilege. Seeing the exhibition slowly take shape within the gallery space has been so fulfilling. It’s going to be an exceptional exhibition I won’t soon forget.
What do you hope visitors can take away with them not only after visiting ‘Genesis’ but also from o gallery as a whole?
I hope everyone leaves the exhibition and the gallery with something lingering — a question, a train of thought, or a feeling. What you take away from the exhibition is completely subjective and unique to you, which is what makes it so special. I want people to trust their own intuition and lean into it.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you have faced with establishing o gallery and organizing your opening exhibition, and how have you overcome them?
Every challenge I’ve faced has luckily been solvable! But I’m Danish, and the biggest challenge might be sounding professional in my English emails to my artists. I think a Danish verb or two might have snuck into my emails – but what can you do?
What advice would you give to those who’d love to open their own gallery one day?
A lot of advice out there is basically: “Just do it.” If you have a dream, you should absolutely pursue it. But you also shouldn’t overlook the importance of planning. The only issue with planning is that sometimes people plan but don’t follow through. Opening a gallery isn’t just about opening a gallery. Like being an artist isn’t just painting or sculpting or creating. There’s so much more to it—packaging, insurance, renovations, customs, restoring damages, curating… I could go on. A lot of it isn’t as fun as discussing and mediating art. That being said, if you have a dream, you should 110% pursue it. Just be mindful of the practical factors that go into it — and don’t fall into the trap of only planning and not doing.
Looking towards the future, what hopes do you have for o gallery? Do you have any big goals that you’ve set for yourselves?
We haven’t set the bar low. The ultimate goal for o Gallery is to become the leading gallery on the Danish and international art scene focusing on magical realism. With the selection of artists we currently represent, we’re surely heading in the right direction. I cannot wait to see what the future brings for o gallery.
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