You are Yourself a Sequoia
In a new exhibition at Museum Ordrupgaard, visual artist Camilla Berner explores the branching history of the giant Sequoia tree — from California to her childhood garden on the island of Funen and on to Museum Ordrupgaard's historic park. At the same time, the exhibition opens up a broader narrative about the relationship between plants and humans, about our fascination with and exploitation of nature, and about our shared responsibility for the living organisms with which we have shared the earth for millennia.
In spring 2026, Camilla Berner takes over the Greenhouse in Museum Ordrupgaard's Art Park with a site-specific work created for the occasion. The work is rooted in a Sequoia tree that connects Ordrupgaard and the artist's personal history. Years ago, a magnificent Sequoia stood in Museum Ordrupgaard's garden, its sheer size making it an impressive presence in the grounds. Berner has visited the museum's archives and studied some of the preserved records left by one of the museum's founders, Henny Hansen, who was a driving force in establishing the garden that is today known as Museum Ordrupgaard Art Park. From these records, Berner draws on historical knowledge that, in this year's greenhouse exhibition, is placed in both a personal and a contemporary perspective.
Camilla Berner (b. 1972) has in recent years made her mark with a series of works that focus on the relationship between nature and culture, between the local and the global. Most recently, Camilla Berner was awarded the Bikuben Foundation's Vision Prize.
The Greenhouse Exhibitions
Museum Ordrupgaard's greenhouse was inaugurated in 2023 as an exhibition space for contemporary art, providing a new platform each year for a contemporary artist who, in dialogue with the park and Museum Ordrupgaard's collections, creates a temporary, site-specific work. The greenhouse dates from 1921 and was originally part of a large greenhouse complex that included, among other things, grapes and peaches. After Museum Ordrupgaard became a state museum, the building fell into disuse, but in the 1980s it was brought back into play in new ways through contributions from contemporary artists.
With the ambition of re-establishing the greenhouse as a central and active part of Museum Ordrupgaard, the building has undergone comprehensive renovation and now stands in its original location in the kitchen garden in the eastern part of the park, close to Finn Juhl's House.
The exhibition is supported by
15. Juni Fonden / Axel Muusfeldts Fond / Dansk Tennis Fond / Inge og Asker Larsens Fond til støtte af almennyttige formål / Nordjyllandsfonden / Statens Kunstfond
About the artist
Camilla Berner (b. 1972) has in recent years made her mark with a series of works that focus on the relationship between nature and culture, between the local and the global. She was most recently awarded the Bikuben Foundation's Vision Prize.
Camilla Berner
Photo: Anders Sune Berg
Photos: Anders Sune Berg
Photos: Anders Sune Berg
Photos: Anders Sune Berg
Photos: Anders Sune Berg