Press release —
Magic in the Wardrobe: New exhibition brings together 12 Nordic artists around the transformative power of fashion
On 26 June, Copenhagen Contemporary, in collaboration with ALPHA, opens 'Shapeshifters – Magic in Art & Fashion' – an exhibition about the ritual and transformative power of clothing. With 12 artists from across the Nordic region, the exhibition explores how what we wear can mark the major transitions in life, blur the line between reality and fantasy – and create entirely new communities. The exhibition is developed by CC in collaboration with four Nordic museums and institutions and can be experienced until 6 September 2026.
Put on clothes, become someone else
A uniform, a wedding dress, a costume, a veil – clothing is never just fabric. It is ritual, transformation and a way of telling the world who we are, or who we want to be. 'Shapeshifters' takes that everyday transformation seriously.
Rooted in migration and global perspectives, the works revolve around origin, spirituality, loss, healing and transformation. The exhibition explores the ritual and transformative potential of clothing – how a garment can mark transitions in a life, erase the boundary between the real and the fantastical, and bind people together in narratives and communities.
A Nordic collaboration
The exhibition is part of CC's ongoing focus on cross-aesthetic practices and is developed in collaboration with Ane Lynge-Jorlén (ALPHA). SHAPESHIFTERS – Magic in Art and Fashion is part of a Nordic partnership between EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art (Finland), the National Museum (Norway), Röhsska Museum of Design and Crafts (Sweden) and Copenhagen Contemporary (Denmark).
The participating artists
Abbas Mandegar (SE) · Ahmed Umar (NO) · Amina Saada (FI) · Ann-Sofie Back (SE) · Arnar Freyr Hjartason (IS) · Jeppe Juel (DK) · Klara Zetterholm (SE) · Lina Hashim (DK) · Margaret Abeshu Leversby (NO) · Olof Marsja & Matilda Söderling (SE) · Zuzana Vrabelova (SE)
“We all know the feeling of putting something on and suddenly standing a little differently in the world. Shapeshifters shows how artists use exactly that power – clothing as transformation, as ritual and as a language we all speak.”
– Marie Laurberg, Director, Copenhagen Contemporary
Opening and practical information
Exhibition period: 26 June – 6 September 2026. But as early as 25 June from 17:00, you can join the official opening of the exhibition, where there will also be free admission to CC until 21:00.
Opening event — 25 June:
17:00 – Free admission to CC
18:00 – Opening speech by Marie Laurberg (Director, CC) and curator Ane Lynge-Jorlén (ALPHA)
18:15 – The exhibition opens
19:00 – Performance by Lina Hashim in Hall 6: Who Carries Who
19:30 – DJ set: Bella Sky High b2b Heva Vaupel
21:00 – Thank you for tonight
Address: Copenhagen Contemporary, Refshalevej 173A, 1432 Copenhagen
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Copenhagen Contemporary (CC) is Copenhagen’s international art center showing installation art created by world stars and new emerging talents. CC occupies the magnificent former B&W welding hall offering a total of 7,000 m2 of beautiful industrial halls with plenty of space to show the technical and large formats in which many contemporary artists work: total installations, performance art, and monumental video works.
