Art and activism are central driving forces at Roskilde Festival, where international artists and emerging talents meet in an experimental and ever-evolving programme. For this special edition of GRASP Pop Up – in collaboration with Orange Wednesday at Roskilde Festival Højskole – we explore how the festival curates art and activism, and how it creates platforms for new artistic voices to thrive.
Art as Activism – In Practice and in the Festival Landscape
Roskilde Festival works strategically with art as a catalyst for change. The ambition is to create spaces where audiences can sense, experience, and challenge their understandings of community, the body, identity, and political action.
The focal point of the evening is Rehearsals of Belonging – an extensive interdisciplinary artwork by Bartek Arobal Kociemba, created for Roskilde Festival 2025. The work combined painting, installation, architecture, dance, music and meditative performances, unfolding as a sensuous, spacious experience in the festival landscape.
The piece remains installed in Milen, where it continues to invite reflection, presence, and quiet encounters.
Artistic Insights and Curatorial Perspectives
The evening begins with a digital meditation and introduction by Bartek Arobal Kociemba, offering a personal insight into the work’s universe, intentions and creation.
Roskilde Festival’s Head of Art & Activism, Jude Bennet, then frames how the festival understands art as activism – and how new voices are actively integrated into the programme.
Afterwards, Signe Brink Wehl, Head of Arts at Roskilde Festival Group, unfolds how the festival works with talent development, cross-disciplinary practices and artistic formats that strengthen the role of art both in the landscape and in the encounter between audiences.
The evening concludes with a conversation between curator Nikolaj Vedde and arts practitioner Rosa Danielsen, who take us into the curatorial process itself. Here, we gain insight into how the festival’s art programme is shaped – and the visions, considerations and collaborations that guide it from idea to execution.
Participants
Bartek Arobal Kociemba – Artist
Jude Bennet – Head of Art & Activism, Roskilde Festival
Signe Brink Wehl – Head of Arts, Roskilde Festival Group
Nikolaj Vedde – Curator
Rosa Danielsen – Arts Practitioner, Roskilde Festival Group
Practical Information
Date: 26 November 2025
Time: 19:30–21:00
Location: Roskilde Festival Højskole
Note: The event will be held in English
