Esben Weile Kjær

Esben Weile Kjær (b. 1992, Aarhus, Denmark) lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. Esben Weile Kjær’s work spans sculpture and performance, drawing on the history of pop culture to investigate themes of nostalgia, authenticity and generational anxiety. In his performances, installations and sculptures, he examines identity among his own generation and explores the role of popular culture and technology in shaping experiences of community and freedom. In 2020, Esben Weile Kjær held solo exhibitions in Denmark at Kunstforeningen Gl. Strand and Copenhagen Contemporary. In 2023, he curated the exhibition BUTTERFLY! at Arken Museum of Contemporary Art, which primarily consisted of works from the museum’s own collection staged in an immersive scenography. In 2024, his largest solo exhibition to date, Solar System, opened at Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg.
Esben Weile Kjær has previously staged performances at institutions such as Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, the National Gallery of Denmark, and Overgaden (all in Copenhagen), as well as internationally at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, MMCA in South Korea, mumok in Vienna, Berghain in Berlin, Museum Tinguely in Basel, and Museum der Moderne in Salzburg. In 2022, Esben Weile Kjær was awarded the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Talent Award, and in 2023 he received the Aage and Yelva Nimb Foundation’s honorary grant.