ISHØJ.- For the first time, artist Thomas Dambo moves indoors into a museum setting. This happened when Arken opened the exhibition The Garbage Man, featuring his popular trolls made from recycled materials and waste. The exhibition invites us all to see the potential in what we throw away—and to use waste as a source of creative inspiration.

On Sunday, May 24, 2026, Arken opened its doors to Thomas Dambo’s first museum exhibition, The Garbage Man. The artist has created a new sensory and imaginative universe uniquely for Arken. Here, waste and recycled materials are transformed into the story of a group of whimsical and mischievous trolls who, under the cover of night, move into the museum, take it over, and redesign it as they think it should be.

For a museum located on the West Coast (Vestegnen), an exhibition with Thomas Dambo (b. 1979) is an obvious choice, says curator Rasmus Stenbakken.

“Thomas Dambo and his giant, animated troll sculptures are world-famous, and his Hidden Giants are also an icon of the West Coast, created together with local volunteers. In their own way, the trolls reflect how art invites everyone into a community that creates something new together,” he says, and continues:

“Although Thomas Dambo’s studio has built the new trolls, visitors will also have great opportunities to create their own trolls in the new exhibition.”

So far, Thomas Dambo—together with thousands of people around the world—has created more than 170 trolls in 19 countries across five continents. Every year, the trolls attract millions of visitors, who can find them via www.trollmap.com. On the West Coast, The Six Forgotten Giants also reside—and this year they celebrate their 10th anniversary.

All of Thomas Dambo’s works are made from recycled materials. This practice is now brought into play in the exhibition The Garbage Man at Arken. For the artist, waste is not the end of a story, but rather the beginning of a new one. With The Garbage Man, he invites the audience to see waste and recycled materials in a new light—as something that holds creative potential for all of us.

Thomas Dambo said about the exhibition at Arken: “I’m incredibly excited to show The Garbage Man to the public. On a personal level, I feel like I’m giving something back to my mother. She often took me to museums as a child—now it’s my turn to take her, and even to my own exhibition.”