Copenhagen Contemporary

Marta Minujín (b.1943 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an iconic figure and one of the most prominent Latin American pop and conceptual artists ever to have emerged. She created some of art history’s first spectacular total installations, having, over the past sixty years, created happenings, performances, installations, and video works that influenced generations of contemporary artists in Latin America, the USA, and Europe. Marta Minujín is an artist who has not only made an indelible mark on art history but continues to be productive, creating new works across physical and digital media.

As a unique feature, CC recreates Minujín’s gigantic and immersive labyrinth La Menesunda (1965) in partnership with three major art museums. A groundbreaking work in the history of art to be experienced in Europe for the first time.

The exhibition Intensify Life is a unique opportunity to experience Minujín’s oeuvre – from the most recent gigantic installations, soft sculptures, and large-scale collage paintings created in her studio in Buenos Aires to the striking total installations and happenings that earned her a place as a significant member of the 1960s avant-garde. During her long and influential career, Minujín has always distanced herself from the traditional art institutions, often destroying her own works as part of her happenings. So, the exhibition at CC will be Minujín’s first major presentation in Europe and a milestone in her artistic practice.

Marie Laurberg, Director of CC, states: ”It’s a real scoop for us at CC to be able to present Marta Minujín in a comprehensive exhibition. Minujín is a virtual powerhouse and wholly unique. She has been a pioneer all her life, developing a deeply original artist’s practice, which is entirely topical. All of it based on a vision about ’intensifying life’. Seeing her art should simply make life feel wilder, greater, and more intense. Minujín is one of art’s giants that European audiences have yet to experience – and we look forward to giving her a large-scale presentation.”

Art should Intensify Life! Marta Minujín’s style springs from the counterculture of the 1960s. Art should be part of everyday life and employ all available means to rouse the audience’s senses. Thanks to close collaboration with the artist, visitors can explore archive materials showing some of the most key elements of Minujín’s work over the years: abducted visitors from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, global video calls long before social media became part of our lives – and gigantic public monuments, since destroyed.

Soft Gallery The work Soft Gallery (1973) is a performance space created by Minujín together with the artist Richard Squires. This space, comprising around two hundred mattresses, transforms the classic white cube into a soft, tactile environment where the audience can move about freely and sprawl – and acquire a physical and interactive experience of art.

Soft Gallery has been reconstructed in a new version specifically for the exhibition at CC. During the exhibition period, the installation will be activated occasionally, featuring performances by the Danish artist Filip Vest, and others.

Implosion! The immersive installation Implosion! (2021) is one of Minujín’s most recent large-scale works. It consists of five large video screens forming a musical cube, which the audience is invited to step into. The work bombards the senses with colourful video images and recomposed music by Philip Glass – a universe of music and colour that transforms the art space into a dance floor.

La Menesunda: According to Marta Minujín (2024) In 1965, Minujín created the legendary work La Menesunda jointly with the artist Rubén Santantonín. The gigantic installation is among the very first immersive works in art history and can be seen as a precursor of, for example, the gigantic installation Elle – une cathédrale (She – a Cathedral) (1966), presented by Niki de Saint Phalle at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm the following year. La Menesunda is a labyrinthine work leading the audience through eleven imaginative rooms in Buenos Aires. On the way, viewers encounter a neon-lit street, a room reeking of fried chicken, a swamp, a beauty salon where viewers can choose make-up or a quick massage, and a bedroom with a married couple sitting in bed reading newspapers. The word ’menesunda’ is derived from local slang and denotes a sense of restlessness, confusion, and chaos.

The recreation of the colossal installation is the result of year-long research work at the museum Museo Moderno in Buenos Aires, and it took a partnership between four major museums, including CC, to build the work in Europe for the first time. Having premiered at CC, La Menesunda will embark on a tour to some of the most influential museums in Europe, including Reina Sofia, KANAL – Centre Pompidou, and Tate Liverpool.

Archival Material and Documentary Although Marta Minujín is regarded as one of the most influential South American artists ever, she remains largely unknown from a European perspective. To give the audience a deeper insight into Minujín’s oeuvre, CC will make a unique presentation of comprehensive archive materials documenting her innovative contribution to contemporary art.

Moreover, we will be showing a brand-new documentary about Marta Minujín’s life and work produced by Kasper Bech Dyg specially for CC. The film follows Marta Minujín in her studio in Buenos Aires, giving the viewer an exclusive insight into her work process and personal view on art.

Further, viewers can explore the exhibition catalogue which offers a broadly-based introduction to the story of Minujín and her career spanning sixty years, featuring texts by Marie Laurberg, director at CC, and Darsie Alexander, chief curator at the Jewish Museum in New York and an expert in the work of Marta Minujín.

The exhibition Intensify Life is the first in a new series at CC entitled Founding Figures, in which the CC, over the next years, will present pioneering artists who have shaped contemporary art – to put them on the art-historical map for a new generation.