Since the 1960s, Alison Knowles has been a central figure in the international avant-garde. Her practice unites the playful experiments of the Fluxus movement with a sensorial and everyday-oriented approach to art – a practice that challenges the boundaries of what art can be. "Alison Knowles: Retrospective 1960-2022" draws connections between Nikolaj Kunsthal’s historical role as a centre for experimental art and its current engagement with contemporary artistic practice. 
 
Alison Knowles’ Final Journey 
Alison Knowles: Retrospective 1960-2022 – curated by art historian Karen Moss, former Professor of Critical Studies at the University of Southern California – has previously been shown at Museum Wiesbaden in Germany and most recently at the Musée d’art moderne et contemporain Saint-Étienne in France. The exhibition is now presented in Denmark for the first time. Knowles’ artistic practice has attracted international attention. As The New York Times described her, she was 'a radical who embraced the use of chance and intermedia. This is evident in works ranging from small, handheld objects to towering walk-in installations resembling giant books. With Knowles’ recent passing, the exhibition stands as a lasting imprint of her life’s work. Following its presentation in Copenhagen, the exhibition will travel to New York. 
 
Fluxus for Beginners and Connoisseurs 
The exhibition welcomes both seasoned art enthusiasts and curious newcomers into the Fluxus universe. For those unfamiliar with Fluxus, it serves as an introduction to one of the most playful and challenging movements of the 20th century. Through film, sound, documentation, and re-enactments, the exhibition conveys Fluxus’ core idea that art can arise from anything – a sound, a gesture, a thought – and that the meaning of a work is often created in the encounter between artist and audience. 

For visitors already familiar with Fluxus, the exhibition offers the opportunity to delve deeper into the movement through Knowles’ readymades, performative installations and video documentation, which illuminate her distinctive position within the avant-garde and Dadaism. Here, one can explore how her practice continues the tradition of dissolving the boundaries between art, performance, and exhibition space, and how her works connect humour, poetry, and the materiality of everyday life with a radical artistic freedom.

Become Part of the Works 
In the spirit of the artist, a number of Knowles’ earlier performances will be re-enacted at Nikolaj Kunsthal. All visitors are invited to take part in selected happenings. In her happenings, Knowles often experimented with food as a medium, notably in "Make a Salad" (1962), in which a giant salad is created collectively. In connection with the art festival Art Matter 2026, audiences will have the opportunity to participate in this co-creative event, which was originally experienced at Nikolaj Kunsthal back in 1962. 

This happening exemplifies the core principle of the Fluxus movement: that art should not merely be observed but lived and shared. The audience is given a central role as co-creators of the works in a playful, open, and unpredictable space. The exhibition thus becomes not only a retrospective presentation but also a living re-enactment of Knowles’ experimental and inclusive artistic practice. 

"Alison Knowles: Retrospective 1960-2022" can be experienced at Nikolaj Kunsthal from 25 April to 26 July 2026. 
 
The opening celebration takes place on Friday 24 April from 16-20. As part of the opening programme, visitors can experience a performance of the choral work "Piece for Any Number of Vocalists" (1962) and take part in the performative event "Celebration Red" (1962), where guests are encouraged to bring a red object to be included in the work. The opening programme also features a DJ and free beer from Depanneur – for the first to arrive and the quick ones! Everyone is welcome.