and I were in rural southern Sweden, tramping along
a dirt path through dense woods of pine and beech.
Suddenly, the sporadic birdcalls were interrupted by
the incongruous sounds of electronic music. “Did you hear that?” asked one of my
daughters. We all nodded, continuing toward the increasingly audible strains of dreamy
techno-pop. Reaching the top of a low ridge, we found ourselves looking into a clearing
inhabited by strange, candy-coloured sculptures of insects, acorns, and leaves arrayed
on a mirrored fl oor. With refl ections of the surrounding greenery beneath them, this
coterie out of Alice in Wonderland melded surreally into the forest. “Cool!” yelled my
oldest as she ran ahead. For the next 10 minutes, we shimmied and spun around the
space to hypnotizing beats seemingly piped in from the tops of trees.
As we later learned, the trippy middle-of-the-woods disco is an installation titled
In Dreams by Berlin-based artists Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg. It’s one of more than
70 works—including pieces by such celebrated names as Marina Abramović, Antony
Gormley, and Dan Graham—that are scattered across a remarkable 100-acre art park
on the historic Wanås estate. Located just outside the village of Knislinge, Wanås makes
for a perfect day trip from either Malmö (a 90-minute drive) or Copenhagen (two hours).
With a history going back to at least 1440, the estate is home to numerous buildings
in a mash-up of architectural styles. Anchoring it all is a 1560s step-gabled, Renaissance-
style castle, which is fl anked by two wings added in the 18th century. Beyond those are
several 19th-century farm buildings that today serve as art spaces,
a shop, and—as of this spring—a modestly stylish 11-room inn
and a restaurant serving up locally-focused dishes that use
ingredients from Wanås’s own organic farm.
Some 75,000 people visited this unusual cultural destination
in 2016, and with the new restaurant and hotel, more are
expected this year. Indeed, while we’d enjoyed glorious solitude
during our walk in the forest, we emerged to fi nd the restaurant’s
long, light-fi lled dining room buzzing. In the kitchen, cooks were
washing wild greens they had foraged that morning for a salad
with edible fl owers and house-made gravlax. Meanwhile,
in a nearby gallery, two dancers were preparing for a
performance for young children beneath a fabric dome.
Wanås has long been a pilgrimage site for art-world insiders,
but most visitors don’t fi t that profi le. Many are from the region:
older couples, families with children, a few of the Syrian refugees
who have been settled nearby. Everyone wanders the grounds
freely, without any of the hesitancy you often see in big museums.
Kids run around looking for art as if they are on a treasure hunt.ON A CHILLY
MID-APRIL
MORNING, MY
THREE YOUNG
CHILDREN
Opposite,
clockwise: House-
made ice cream
sprinkled with
popped rye and
violets, held by one
of the girls from
the Wachtmeister
family; a painting
by Ylva Ogland
hangs above the
mantelpiece in the
Wanås hotel’s
sitting area; three
generations of
Wachtmeisters;
dyed sheep that
are part of a work
by artist Henrik
Plenge Jakobsen.104106 travelandleisureindia.intravelandleisureindia.in