IMPRESSIONS OF NATURE: PAPER AS MEMORY

IAPMA Paper Art Biennale 2026

The theme of IAPMA Paper Art Biennale 2026 invited artists to explore paper as a living palimpsest — a material that absorbs and preserves the layered traces of life.
Originally from the Greek palin (again) and psēstos (scraped), a palimpsest was a manuscript in which older writing was partially erased to make space for new text while remnants of the original remained. Today, the word refers more broadly to any surface or object that holds visible layers of change, memory or history.
In this way, paper becomes more than a surface for marks — it is a sensitive body that remembers. Each fold, crease and impression echo the gestures of both nature and human presence, transforming paper into a vessel of memory.
When paper is created from other materials — worn textiles, handwritten pages or plant fibres — it retains something of its origins. These embedded histories remain visible or felt, forming a quiet continuity between past and present. Through the tactile and repetitive processes of papermaking — tearing, pulping and pressing — paper collects and carries stories not by overwriting them but by layering meaning.
The artists were invited to submit works that reveal how paper registers the passage of time and life. Whether through natural marks, human touch or material transformation, the artworks will reflect the deep connection between body, earth and memory. This exhibition highlights the interplay between ephemeral processes and enduring imprints — a space where life in all its forms leaves a trace.

HEAVENLY CONSIDERATIONS

Paintings by Henrik Martensen

There is a high ceiling in the works of visual artist Henrik Martensen. The small person in the large space is a recurring theme in his works. As a painter, he works in line with a recent trend, where individual visual artists and art photographers at home and abroad are seeking a hyper-realistic expression. The fascination with real natural phenomena is, however, processed - some emphasized, others omitted - so that the picture itself becomes a pure statement. Read more here

TIME * SOIL * STAR

We belong to the world. The world does not belong to us. That is the starting point for the exhibition TIME*SOIL*STAR, which revolves around the impact of humans on the planet. The climate crisis is examined through a series of installations that address everything from local contemporary archaeological finds, earth creatures, flower metaphors, life's transition to eternal sleep and invasions from distant galaxies. The participating artists are: Jeanette Land Schou, Nina Maria Kleivan, Karen Gabel Madsen, Bodil Brems, Henriette C. Hansen, Vicky Steptoe, Pernelle Maegaard and Nanna Gro Henningsen. Read more here

A Tree is A Tree is A Tree: The Tree Chapel

Maria Dubin

The audience encounters the artist's large portraits of trees. They were painted in her studio in Paris as part of overcoming depression. The result is a meditative chapel full of light. We think the series of works plays well with the large panorama hall at the Silkeborg Bad Art Center, where the audience can linger in the view of both Ørnsø and the trees outside and the lovely vibrant painting that reflects many emotions, among other things. Read more here

Sculpture Experiment Silkeborg - S.E.S.

- in the Park at the Art Center Silkeborg Bad

S.E.S. is a playground for sculptors - artists who work with sculpture.
We have previously tried, and with great success, to ask the artists to experiment with sculpture that only has to be able to withstand outdoor use for five weeks.
In August - September 2026, the Park will be visited by new sculptures, which will be selected by a jury from proposals from members of the Danish Sculptors' Association. The selection will take place in January 2026 and then we will know more about the participants.

FAR OUT IN THE FOREST

Woodcuts, photography and painting are mixed in this exhibition, where the columned hall is filled with works by four exciting Danish artists, each with extensive experience in their own field. What they have in common is observing and processing nature as a motif, and not least how we humans view nature. Meet Anette Abrahamson, Svend-Allan Sørensen, Christina Jensen and Vibeke Glarbo. Read more here