Numbers and quotes bent in neon tubes radiate red, yellow and turquois light into a corridor space at Porcelænshaven. A painting by Per Kirkeby stretches from floor to the ceiling at Dalgas Have. And you can watch an art video of mountaineers covering a snowy mountain top in a yellow tarpaulin at CBS Digital Art Space

“For good and bad, you don’t have to go to a museum to experience art – the art comes to you instead, and there’s something fantastic about exactly that,” says Philipp Ostrowicz, Senior Research Adviser and member of CBS’ Art Committee.

Now, that CBS has reopened like the rest of Danish society, a new art season has started. It started with the student organization, CBS Art’s exhibition of the Swedish art duo, Bigert and Bergström’s CO2 Lock-ins on the wooden decking outside Café Nexus, and now a related art video is on display at CBS Digital Art Space at Solbjerg Plads.

“In general, you can say that a university is to educate and form people. As a business school, we have expert knowledge in business administration, accounting and such. But in my opinion, art also plays a role in education. Being exposed to art makes us think differently and put our knowledge into perspective,” says Philipp Ostrowicz.

CBS Digital Art Space will continously change the videos, for example, a video by the Swedish artist Madeleine Andersson will be showcased later in October.

A man dancing naked and green jelly

CBS Digital Art Space was established in 2017 in collaboration with Louisiana, the Museum of Modern Art, which lent digital art to CBS.

“In many ways, digital art is perfect for a setting like CBS. It does not take up a lot of space, except for a wall, and it’s easy to change. Moreover, the location, opposite Café Nexus, is perfect, as a lot of students and staff members pass it every day,” says Philipp Ostrowicz and continues:

“Showcasing digital art provides countless opportunities, and I like to think that the students look at it and get different input and new thoughts, before attending lectures on finance.”

CBS Digital Art Space has run various types of art. From a woman licking up green jelly to craftsmen handling huge blocks of marble that evolve into enormous Greek pillars. But one video stands out.

The Danish artist Peter Land created an art video back in the 90s of him dancing. Naked.

“I’m not here to judge or ridicule anybody, but that piece started a discussion. Some felt it was problematic and that nudity did not belong at CBS, while others found it funny. In the end, we decided to continue showing the film because it did exactly what we had hoped it would,” says Philipp Ostrowicz.

He is well aware that not everybody feels that art and a business school have much to do with each other. And that is not the point. For Philipp Ostrowicz, he hopes that just a few people stop and reflect.

“This is an offer that you can choose to take or not. You can walk right past the artworks and give them no thought. They are not forced on you. But if a few people stop and look and think a little, then that’s enough to make me happy” he says and continues:

“The University Act does not specify that we should have art in our halls, but we want to because we think it is important.

Campus