A Stroll Through Gadegalleriet: Art Where You Least Expect It

One of the many unexpected things about living in Nordvest is how casually the extraordinary blends into the everyday. Case in point: the 16 massive murals stretching along Rentemestervej and Møntmestervej. If you’ve walked through the area, you've probably passed them—even if you didn’t realize you were moving through the biggest outdoor gallery in the Nordics (so says Wikipedia!).

This spot holds a special place in my heart. I lived on Møntmestervej when I first came to Copenhagen on exchange in the spring of 2014. It’s where I fell in love with the city. These streets were the beginning of something for me—and seeing them transformed through public art only makes that place even more unique.

Gadegalleriet (literally: “The Street Gallery”) began taking shape between 2016 and 2018. What started as a local initiative has become something much bigger—2,000 square meters of vibrant street art, open to everyone, day and night.

I often pass the murals on my walk to Utterslev Mose. What strikes me isn’t just their size—it’s how different they all are. Some are bold and playful, others more abstract or quietly surreal. The lineup includes artists like HuskMitNavn, CMP, Dabs Myla, Jakob Tolstrup, and Boy Kong and was curated by Jens Peter Brask.

There’s no single message or style—just an open-air celebration of creativity. The man on the moon makes me think of how small we are on our planet, I love the pink bunny playing cards and getting ready to graffiti something, I notice how Brask put his name as well as the location in the boats he painted on the wall, I laugh at the “Hej Stump” written on one of them, feeling like they’re talking down at me, so small compared to the person in the mural, but also practicing my danish (I had to look up what it meant the first time I saw it).

What makes it even better is the informality of it all. You don’t need a map or a museum ticket. It’s just there, part of the neighborhood. The gallery was initiated by a local artist and made possible through collaboration with housing associations, urban renewal programs, and the City of Copenhagen—a reminder of how art and city planning can come together to create something truly meaningful.

And if you’re walking down Rentemestervej or Møntmestervej (my old street!) anyway, you might as well turn it into a full outing and stop for pizza at Behov or Flere Fugle, grab a bottle at Høtoft or a glass at Dorthea's Bar or grab a coffee at Flok or Storm B.

A bit of personal history, art, streets. Nordvest encapsulated!