The artist Esben Weile Kjær has over the past few years achieved great recognition on the Danish as well as the international art scene at a very young age. But who is the man behind the great success and the viral works really?

1. Even long before he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen in 2022, Esben Weile Kjær had managed to establish himself on both the national and international art scene. Particularly with solo exhibitions at Gl. Strand and Copenhagen Contemporary in 2020, as well as exhibited works in Austria, South Korea and in the US. Since then, he has exhibited at a number of places in Denmark and abroad and made performances at MUMOK in Vienna, Centre Pompidou in Paris and Museum Tinguely in Basel.

2. With a background as a DJ and an education in Music Management from the Rhythmic Academy of Music, Esben Weile Kjær has always been interested in the power of music and the impulses of nightlife. With his use of various artistic approaches such as installations, video and performance, he works with the diverse imagery of popular culture and often deconstructs the traditional divisions between art and more mainstream culture.

3. With references to pop culture, Esben Weile Kjær explores themes such as authenticity and nostalgia with a sharp focus on the generation he grew up as a part of. A clear 90s nostalgia is often present in his works, while he also maintains a large interest in the internet, social media and the digital upbringing and lifestyle that have come to define his own generation.

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References:

Christina Donoghue, ”Why the World is Watching Esben Weile Kjær”, SHOWstudio, October 6, 2023.
Felix Thorsen Katzenelson and Marius Renner Christensen, ”Jeg er en person, som man har mange meninger om”, Politiken, IBYEN, May 13, 2021.