Counterprint etcetera
‘It’s been a long time in the making,’ was the author and art historian Vibeke P. Gether’s opening remark at the launch of the book Counterprint etcetera about the Copenhagen designer and textile printmaker Vibeke Rohland. The launch event was held at the Apollo restaurant at the art centre Charlottenborg in Copenhagen, last week
It has also been long time since I first heard about it, from a clearly honoured Vibeke Rohland. So long in fact, that the ink on the pages of HÅNDVÆRK bookazine 2, where she was featured, was barely dry.
(You can read the article here.)
June 2026
Feeling openly honoured is not Vibeke Rohland’s typical mode. She is someone who sets the agenda and who doesn’t hide her light under a bushel – and why should she? She is talented, hard-working and widely acclaimed.
If someone misspeaks, she speaks up. As when the author, in his presentation of the book, mentioned that it was a lucky stroke when Rohland got in touch with Marimekko, which secured the book’s coverage of this chapter.
“I didn’t contact them – they contacted me,” she corrected, adding that she was then invited to be Marimekko’s first artist-in-residence, and that the book features a conversation between her and Marimeko’s Creative Director Rebekka Bay and Design Director Minna Kemell-Kutvonen.
It is a big, beautiful book, brimming with textiles, some with attitude, all with character. Part One contains memories and photos from her life with visual artist Claus Rohland. Together, they moved from New York and Paris to Copenhagen and entered a trend-setting interdisciplinary art scene, where artists inspired each other across art forms.
“Kalsø shoes, purple knitwear and collective ideals not wanted,” the couple wrote in an ad for a shared studio in 1982, featured in the book. The Rohland couple was edgier, blacker, punk – and they still are today, when she has long since replaced her space in the shared studio with her own place behind the Royal Danish Theatre.
Part Two places Vibeke Rohland’s practice into an art-historical perspective in the context of international art and philosophy. That makes it convincing, and if anyone harbours any doubts about the existence of a hierarchy of visual art disciplines – with painting at the top and textile art at the bottom – or wonders about the merits of such a hierarchy, Counterprint etcetera provides excellent insights.
The graphic design was created by Rasmus Koch Studio. That’s hard to argue with. Rasmus Koch is exceptionally talented and among the most sought-after in his field. One can only hope that he trains a sorcerer’s apprentice in time, before he runs out of steam.
Among other publications, Vibeke P. Gether is the author of GAaA: Gunnar Aagaard Andersen (Strandberg Publishing, 2016) and the editor of Boris Berlin: Dialogues on Form (Arnoldsche, 2025), both in collaboration with Rasmus Koch. She has also worked as a curator, including for the Danish contributions to the Bienal de São Paulo (1990 and 1993) and exhibitions at Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art and Gl. Holtegaard.
Juni 2026
”Den har været undervejs længe”, indledte forfatter og kunsthistoriker Vibeke P. Gether sin tale på Apollo på Charlottenborg i sidste uge ved lanceringen af sin bog Modtryk med mere om den københavnske designer og tekstiltrykker Vibeke Rohland.
Det er også længe siden, jeg første gang hørte om den – fra en tydeligt beæret Vibeke Rohland. Så længe siden, at blækket på HÅNDVÆRK bookazine 2, hvor jeg portrætterede hende, knap var tørt.
(Den artikel kan du læse her.)
At være åbentlyst beæret er i øvrigt ikke noget, Vibeke Rohland dyrker. Hun sætter dagsorden og sætter ikke sit lys under en skæppe – og hvorfor skulle hun? Hun er talentfuld, flittig og anerkendt.
Hvis noget bliver formuleret forkert, tager hun ordet. Som da forfatteren i sin lanceringstale nævnte, at det som et held i uheld var, at Rohland undervejs fik kontakt med Marimekko, hvilket havde sikret bogens omtale af dette kapitel af hendes karriere.
“Jeg fik ikke kontakt – jeg blev kontaktet,” korrigerede hun og fortalte, at hun derefter blev inviteret som Marimekkos første gæstekunstner og i bogen har en samtale med Marimekos kreative direktør Rebekka Bay og chefdesigner Minna Kemell-Kutvonen.
Bogen er stor og smuk, fyldt med tekstiler – nogle med attitude, alle med karakter. Første del rummer erindringer og fotos fra et liv levet med billedkunstner Claus Rohland. Sammen har de bevæget sig fra New York og Paris til København og ind i et toneangivende, tværdisciplinært kunstnermiljø, hvor kunstnere på tværs af fag inspirerede hinanden.
“Ikke dem med Kalsø-sko, lilla strik og kollektive idéer,” skrev parret i en annonce for et atelierfællesskab i 1982, gengivet i bogen. Rohlandparret var mere skarptskårne, mere sorte, mere punk – og er det stadig, selv om atelierfællesskabet for Vibekes vedkommende for længst er afløst af et eget sted bag Det Kongelige Teater.
Bogens anden del sætter Vibeke Rohlands praksis ind i et kunsthistorisk perspektiv med internationale tænkere og kunstnere som prisme. Det gør den overbevisende, og skulle nogen stadig være i tvivl om, hvorvidt der har eksisteret et hierarki mellem de forskellige billedkunstneriske discipliner – med maleriet øverst og tekstil nederst – eller undre sig over rimeligheden af dette, så er Modtryk med meregod at få forstand af.
Den grafiske tilrettelæggelse er varetaget af Rasmus Koch Studio. Det er svært at indvende noget mod det: Rasmus Koch er et markant talent og blandt de mest efterspurgte i sin branche. Man kan blot håbe, at han i tide – inden han kører træt – har oplært en troldmandslærling
Vibeke P. Gether har bl.a. skrevet GAaA. Gunnar Aagaard Andersen (Strandberg Publishing, 2016) og redigeret Boris Berlin. Dialoger om form (Arnoldsche, 2025), begge i samarbejde med Rasmus Koch. Hun har desuden virket som kurator, bl.a. for de danske bidrag til São Paulo-biennalen (1990 og 1993), samt udstillinger på Den Frie Udstillingsbygning og Gl. Holtegaard.
Related stories
IT’S GOING TO BE A WUNDERKAMMER
TERMINATION OR DEVELOPMENT?
MY SOUP POT
DRIFTSKONTORET
