In the autumn of 2020, ARoS exhibited a vast, architectural installation by American artist duo Jonah Freeman (1975) & Justin Lowe (1976) under the title Colony Sound. Subsequently, with generous support from the New Carlsberg Foundation, the museum has acquired parts of that exhibition for its collection, specifically the installation Colony Howl.

– Being able to present this spectacular and immersive installation by Freeman & Lowe is a great joy. Many did not get to experience the exhibition in 2020 due to the Covid 19 shutdown, and so we are particularly pleased that we can now present part of their unique and distinctive universe to our guests. A special thank you goes to the New Carlsberg Foundation for making this possible, says museum director Rebecca Matthews, ARoS.

Freeman & Lowe’s works often constitute a tribute to the youth counterculture movement of the 60s with its search for freedom and rebellion against the establishment. Since 2008, the artists have worked on a number of different historical and fictional narratives set in their huge, labyrinthine and architectural installations. One of the narratives embedded in Colony Howl deals with the fictional communication system known as ‘The Smile’.

Colony Howl is full of references and narratives. We move through the work, taking in all its sprawling details and quirks. We explore sounds, materials and a wealth of stories all at the same time. The result is a personal experience where the work is perceived and understood differently each time.

Colony Howl will be installed in ARoS’s installation gallery on level 0, which already contains several other installation works by major international artists, including James Turrell, Pipilotti Rist and Olafur Eliasson.

ARoS launched its focus on installation art when the museum moved to its current location in 2004, where the new galleries made it possible to exhibit world-class examples of the genre. ARoS has since added the striking installation Your rainbow panorama, 2006–2011 by Olafur Eliasson, and in 2025 the construction of The Next Level will expand the museum with The Dome, a Skyspace by James Turrell.

Colony Howl will be on display as of 16 December 2022, when the work will be inaugurated at a special event where the artists will be present.

The work was acquired for the ARoS collection with generous support from the New Carlsbergfoundation.

Press photos can be freely downloaded from Dropbox when giving due credit.

For additional information, please contact:

Astrid Ildor · asil@aros.dk · (+45) 61 90 49 42