Denmark is a country with art and design practically ingrained in its DNA. Built on a hybridity of artistic flair and cultural sophistication, it sweats coolness from its very pores – a melting pot of inspiration. What does one do with a country overflowing with such creative talent? Set up Art Rebels, of course.
Formed in 2007 by Carla Cammilla Hjorth, Art Rebels started as a community network aimed at bringing together the world’s impending creative souls. From artists and musicians, to designers, filmmakers and cultural activists, the Art Rebels movement is all about creating opportunities for up-and-coming and established micro entrepreneurs and social projects, both in Denmark and all over the world.
An undying passion
Nowadays, the movement has established itself as four distinguished companies: Art Rebels, Rebel Academy, Trailerpark Festival and the Rebel Agency.
“The common denominator for everything we do at Art Rebels is our undying passion for supporting, promoting and sharing creative and cultural talent,” explained Rebel Agency’s concept and community developer, Simon Caspersen.
“We have always taken pride in our ability to present artists and musicians at a point in their careers when we can push them closer to a mainstream breakthrough.”
Collaborating for success
Despite its mass following of over 80,000 loyal cohorts on social media, Art Rebels remains a relatively small organisation.
“Our business model is based around a small, dynamic in-house team of 11 full-time employees,” continued Caspersen.
“But we have a pretty strong relationship with our contributors, which means we can always call on them for a project we’re working on. That’s what the Art Rebels movement is all about: the spirit of collaborating. Some of the best inspiration, ideas and innovation come from our talented pool of contributors.”
World domination
With years of Scandinavian success under its belt, Art Rebels has now begun to shift its focus to suit a wider target market.
This year, one of the organisation’s key projects, the Trailerpark Festival, expanded into mainland Europe with a pop-up event in Amsterdam in June.
Caspersen asserts this was a natural expansion for the Art Rebels movement.
“In the past, we definitely had a tendency to be a little Scandinavia-centric, but now we can really see that interest in our projects is increasing across the world,” he said.
“Amsterdam was natural for us – we have some good connections, we love the city and think it’s a really interesting creative hub that we can connect and co-create with. We’re certainly working on widening our focus to an increasingly global audience.”
Trailer trash treasures
Originating from the heart of urban Copenhagen, the Trailerpark Festival is a three-day music and arts festival, presenting the best young talents from a wide range of creative subcultures within music, art and design.
From July 30 this year, the Copenhagen Skatepark will transform into what Caspersen describes as “a live portfolio” – a place for creatives to mingle and co-create.
As well as hosting over 40 concerts, dozens of old trailers are transformed into ethereal hangouts as the festival scene morphs into a vision of scenography and live art. One-off works of art are produced, and rare light designs are littered throughout the space.
Alongside the festival this year, Art Rebels will introduce Trailerpark I/O – a lineup of talks, exhibitions and innovation labs, which is aimed at bringing together rebels from multiple artistic and digital landscapes to explore technologies, co-create radical solutions and showcase new talents.
In line with everything that Art Rebels aims to achieve, the Trailerpark Festival is the icing on the cake.
“Essentially, our wish for Art Rebels is that we encourage young creative souls to follow their vision and fulfill their creative and entrepreneurial potential.”
