For Fall/Winter 2023 GANNI takes their show 30 minutes south of Copenhagen to ARKEN Museum of Modern Art, an iconic cultural landmark whose striking maritime-inspired exterior resembles a giant shipwreck. The newly appointed director Marie Nipper, previous director of Copenhagen Contemporary, has taken the helm and is revitalising the institution with new exciting directions. Nipper has tapped Copenhagen-based artist and rising star Esben Weile Kjær to re-curate their impressive permanent collection of contemporary art under the exhibition title of BUTTERFLY! Esben Weile Kjær has carefully selected 50 pieces from the ARKEN collection for his show and as a tribute to the project he has created a two-metres tall painted bronze sculpture of a butterfly.

Esben’s own piece and exhibition mascot, the towering cartoon-inspired butterfly in death metal makeup, will greet the guests as a first sight at the FW23 GANNI show. Esben’s butterfly is also the central figure in a digital animation created exclusively for GANNI that will act as the backdrop for the show, majestically displayed on a seven by seven metre large LED screen. With the FW23 show Esben’s BUTTERFLY! meets GANNI’s BUTTERLFIES! in a collaboration that spans across fashion and art.

“Everything has just come together so naturally for this season’s show and it feels completely meant to be that we’re doing the show at ARKEN. It’s such an iconic museum, a place built to make art more accessible and democratic. Both Esben and I have the butterfly symbol as our creative point of departure. This season marks GANNI’s welcoming of the new butterfly logo while Esben has created this wild looking butterfly to be the mascot of his new show opening at ARKEN. I love working with friends on creative projects, and collaborating with Esben on the vision for the set design has been such a dream.

This season is all about transformation, change, and positivity, all things the butterfly symbolises. It’s a new chapter for GANNI. Our team has come so far since we first started out and it makes me so proud to think about where we are today. The collection has a more mature and grown-up feel this time, it’s sleek and strong yet totally GANNI, so ARKEN’s modern architecture is going to be the perfect backdrop. Esben’s animation adds that element of unexpectedness that makes the show feel inherently GANNI.”