Emeka Ogboh's Danfo Travels North to Helsinki for Southnord Artfest 2026
As part of Southnord Artfest 2026, a travelling danfo bus by artist Emeka Ogboh will make its way north from Berlin to Helsinki this August. Southnord will welcome it with free public block parties in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki
The bus is part of Transmissions, a work by Emeka Ogboh, an artist working between Berlin and Lagos, whose practice using sound and our multiple senses to explore place, memory, and migration. It forms part of his installation for The Other Side of the Mountain, the headline exhibition of Southnord Artfest 2026, co-curated with and produced by Amos Rex. Rather than treating migration as simple movement, the Lagos danfo bus follows how people, memories and cultures travel, settle and change across distance. As it moves north, the danfo gathers the layered voices of diasporic life in the Nordic region, and in each city it stops, it opens public space for gathering, activated as a sound system by DJs from African diaspora networks and allied communities.
"So much of Southnord's work is about making space for connection across the diaspora, and this is that idea in motion. Following Emeka and the danfo bus, and gathering around it in each city, is a joyful way to begin Artfest 2026. We're excited for our community across the various cities to be part of this journey," says Marcia Harvey Isaksson, founder of Southnord.
In Copenhagen, the danfo arrives on 8 August for Bloc Party Lagos – State of Mind, presented in collaboration with Almene Kunstklubber. The afternoon includes an artist talk with Emeka Ogboh, creative workshops, video screenings and more, from 13:00 to 18:00 at Lundtoftegade 23.
In Stockholm, the bus arrives on 12 August for a block party presented in collaboration with Hobo Hotel and Kulturfestivalen. The programme features DJ sets, interviews and live interactions with the artist, and curated food and drinks, from 16:00 to 22:00 at Hobo Hotel, Brunkebergstorg 4. The gatherings will be documented as part of the material built into the installation.
The bus continues on to Helsinki and is welcomed with a block party by Amos Rex at Culture Centre Stoa. From there, the danfo becomes part of The Other Side of the Mountain at Amos Rex, on view from 14 October 2026 to 21 March 2027. All block parties are free and open to everyone. More details can be found at http://www.southnord.com/artfest-2026-transmissions.
For further information and interview requests, please contact:
Georgètte Dwomoh-Appiah
Communications Manager + Project Coordinator, Artfest 2026
georgette@southnord.com
+46 72 833 94 33