Henriette Bretton-Meyer

Questionnaire: Henriette Bretton-Meyer

Describe yourself in a single sentence?
– A collaborator at heart I enjoy daily routines but also love when other people break them and show me new ways

What was your last thought before falling asleep last night?
– That I only had to sleep one more night before going on holiday and visit relatives I haven’t seen for two years due to the pandemic

What is the first thing you think about when you wake up?
– What to have for breakfast and what I need to do that day at work. Then I have a shower and make breakfast, the family gets up and I forget all about it

If you could give your younger self any advice what would it be?
– Trust your instinct, speak your mind

What are you working on right now?
– I always work on several exhibitions at the same time, juggling past, present and future projects. I just opened a solo exhibition last week with French-Algerian artist Mohamed Bourouissa - now it’s time for me to work on the next show with New Red Order, a collective based in New York City, as well as planning the exhibition programme for the next few years

How do you know a project is worth realizing?
– Gut instinct

How do you know when something is good?
– Again, gut instinct – sometimes right from the beginning, other times it takes a little longer…

Is art inherently political?
– No. But the act of making art is a political one

What are you teaching your kids?
– To be curious and kind and a good friend. To read, to cook, to travel. And nice table manners (I try..)

What is your favourite book and why? – It’s impossible for me to choose one particular book – I love my cook books and my art books and enjoy reading novels

Is talent something you’re born with or something you can learn?
– I’ll quote Danish children’s book author, the incredible Ole Lund Kirkegaard, who created a character in his novel ‘Rubber Tarzan’ who said: “There’s always something one is good at, one just has to find out what it is.”

Name your favourite restaurant?
– I don’t really have a regular haunt (except maybe Apollo Bar at Kunsthal Charlottenborg where I have coffee every day) and the food we cook at home is hard to beat. Recently though I’ve had memorable meals out at Osteria alle Testiere in Venice and at Friheden here in Copenhagen.

Photography by Simon Starling, Copenhagen, October 2021.