Art in UN City
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UN City is designed by the Danish 3XN Architects. The design is rooted in the values and work of the United Nations as features like the sculptural staircase animate cooperation between the resident organizations. With clear references to the maritime surroundings, the building is kept in a minimalistic Scandinavian design. To compliment the design, the Danish Arts Foundation and the UN City Arts Committee created a comprehensive art solution for the building in 2014. Using Danish contemporary artists, the pieces were selected to match the clean, sharp and iconic look of the building and, when possible, challenge it.
RASMUS HØJ MYGIND Untitled (Purple), 2012, ↓ Colour pigment on canvas. MDF and mahogany
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HJORTS FABRIKKER Jars with lids in different sizes, 1978, ↙ Ceramics
THALIA REVENTLOW Vingekrukke (Wing-shaped pot), 1994, ↓ Ceramics, 40 x 38 cm BODIL MANZ Construction, 2003, ↙ Ceramics, 43 x 32 cm
The result was a collection of various paintings and ceramics on loan from the Arts Foundation. The Arts Foundation also commissioned the artists Mie Mørkeberg and Peter Bonde to create large-scale pieces specifically for UN City. This guide highlights some of the art pieces on display in UN City public spaces. The sea →
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Adam Mørk Untitled, 2015 C-print on dibond VIP Room 0.2.20 K
The sculptural, black lacquered staircase, winding between the different floors and departments of UN City, serves as the main artery of the building. It constitutes an abrupt break to the light, minimalistic Scandinavian design and architecture of the building’s interior – both in colour and shape. The spectacular shape and presence turns it into a sculpture rather than just a means to get from one floor to the other. A selection of photographs by Adam Mørk featuring the staircase is on display in the VIP meeting room.
Mie Mørkeberg Untitled, 2015, ↑ Acrylic and oil on canvas Entrance area A
The materiality is the starting point for the figuration, where a story is told in symbols, thoughts and interpretations of and about the United Nations. The painting shows a colonnade with a green path running through, which goes as far as the eye can see toward a brighter area. Columns, as in the Biblical creation myth of the Primeval Sea, Hercules’ pillars in Greek mythology that were standing at the transition from the inhabited world to the ocean, and the philosophical school of Stoicism that came from the word colonnade - the classical room for discussion and learning. The columns in the painting are formed by stacks of books and sheets of paper in a very homemade style that brings us back to reality. The man-made columns are full of levers, gears and the whole machinery is kept going, while the columns hold together the entire room.
Peter Bonde Untitled, 2015, → Acrylic on mirror foil Stairs to auditorium M
Peter Bonde’s motif is abstract and expressive in a blend of orange and pink with a slight twist of fluorescence, creating an intense and eye-catching presence of colour in the room. At the same time, the mirroring effect of the background creates a very direct dialog with the space and its users. Hence, the work balances elements of abstraction with a direct figurative presence of architecture, people, and movement.
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LARS CHRISTENSEN Monochrome #6, 2011, ↓ Acrylic/canvas HJORTS FABRIKKER Jars with lids in different sizes, 1978, Ceramics