DANGEROUS WHEN WET 30 September – 2 October 2022 (EN)

Presenting spectacular works in and about water, Dangerous When Wet is an experimental art exhibition taking you on a magical journey at a public pool with a ritual washing and purple slime. A stellar array of Danish and international artists are contributing to the show’s exploration of love, identity and sexuality.

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Wetness and crystal-blue water in the captivating architecture of Kildeskovshallen’s public pool make up the setting for the experimental group show Dangerous When Wet.


Setting you afloat in a magical universe unfolding as a journey with stops in subterranean spaces usually off limits to the public, Dangerous When Wet features everything from custom bath slippers to a synchronized swimming performance, an edible sculpture and a painting submerged in water.

Against the backdrop of the public swimming pool, Dangerous When Wet explore water as the common element connecting us across bodies and national borders.

Ritual washing, underwater works and a synchronized swimming performance
Your admission ticket to the public swimming pool is a work of art in itself: a pair of bath slippers custom-designed by the artist Filip Berg. The maze of the dressing room leads to a ritual washing of hands and feet with soaps crafted by Iben Zorn and soothing bespoke scents wafting from sculptural vessels. Next, you are led underground to emerging artist Adele Rannes’ mythical works before arriving in the cavernous hall of the pool, where you can experience paintings installed on window- panes and on the bottom of a pool. An edible artwork awaits during the intermission of a mesmerizing concert performance featuring Linda Lamignan on the diving boards. The evening concludes with a synchronized swimming performance featuring six transindividual bodies moving to a live musical composition.

Set at a public swimming pool, Dangerous When Wet expands the space of art, opening up new experiences in a different context from the art museum. Turning the commonplace upside down, the exhibition presents new perspectives on the pool as a public space.

Curated by Mette Woller and created in partnership with Copenhagen Contemporary and Dansehallerne, Dangerous When Wet is an experimental group exhibition spread out across time and space. In addition to the main exhibition at Kildeskovshallen on 30 September (at 16.00 and 20.00), Dangerous When Wet unfolds at Copenhagen Contemporary with the award-winning performance FIEBRE on 1 and 2 October (at 20.00) and video works from 14 September to 3 October.


Dangerous When Wet is the final chapter in a longstanding research project. Challenging heteronormative understandings of the concept of love, the project previously investigated love’s role in society in two exhibitions, at Kunstraum in London (2014) and at CompleteBody fitness center in New York (2015).

Participating artists: 
Tamara Alegre (IC/CH), Élie Autin (CH/FR), Lydia Östberg Diakité (SE/CI), Nunu Flashdem (CH), Marie Ursin (NO), Kinga Bartis (HU), Filip Berg (DK), Tea Eklund-Berglöw (SE), Freja Sofie Kirk (DK), Melanie Kitti (SE), Linda Lamignan (NO/NG), Pablo Lilienfeld (ES/BE) & Federico Vladimir (AR/ES), Adele Marie Rannes (DK), Iben Zorn (DK).

For more information, please contact:
Mette Woller, Curator

contact@mettewoller.com
+45 4252 0444

Press Contact:
Ida Maj Ludvigsen, PR & Head of Communication

ida@cphco.org
+45 6021 9321

This exhibition is made possible with the support of:
Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), Beckett-Fonden, Bikubenfonden, Gentofte Kommune, Kulturpuljen - Gentofte Kommune, Kildeskovshallen, Knud Højgaards Fond, Ny Carlsbergfondet, Pro Helvetia, Statens Kunstfond & William Demant Fonden