About
Mia Degner is a Danish author and visual artist. She studied filmmaking in Lisbon, Portugal, and oral storytelling, dramaturgy, and writing in Copenhagen, Denmark.
She is the author of five books of fiction, poetry, and literary non-fiction, and most recently published the essay-booklet Børneårene (The Childrearing Years, Mikrobe, 2024); a text about the working conditions of artist mothers.
Her text installations and video work have been shown in exhibitions and at festivals across Europe, and she is currently part of an artist duo with fellow author and artist Sine Bang Nielsen, exploring the possibilities of creation and participation from the position of the carer.
For the past fifteen years, Mia Degner has worked as a book editor, conceptualizing several books, among them the anthologies Afbrydelser (Interruptions, Mikrobe, 2023) about the interrupted working conditions of women authors, and Moderelementet (The Mother Element, Gutkind, 2024) about mothering and carework as it is presented in Danish literature from 1895 to 2024, which she co-edited with a group of Danish authors.
Mia Degner spent several years between Portugal and Denmark and currently lives outside of Copenhagen with her children.
Contact:
mia@mikrobe.dk
CV
PUBLICATIONS
Books
2024 Børneårene (The Childrearing Years). Essay booklet. Mikrobe. 978-87-974017-4-3
2024 Kærlighed & Ensomhed (Love & Loneliness). Two conceptual poetry e-books with the author Jesper Sternberg. Mikrobe. 978-87-974017-6-7
2021 Havet og væk (The Sea and Away). Novel-in-stories. Kronstork. 978-87-83206-71-7
2021 Lyset bærer ikke nag til nogen (The Light Begrudges No One). Poems. Mikrobe. 978-87-972549-2-9
2014 Kort over himlen (Map of the Sky). Prose and poems. Gyldendal. 978-87-02-15385-9
2014 Hjem//By//Ting (Home//City//Things). Conceptual texts with the authors Bue P. Peitersen, Ditte Holm Bro and Amalie Laulund Trudsø. Korridor. 978-87-92655-43-1
2012 En lodret drøm (A Vertical Dream). Poems. Gyldendal. 978-87-02-12603-7
Book contributions (selected)
2027 “Postcards From a Residency”, Photo & text piece/artist contribution in Kollektiv Kunstforskning (Collective Art Research) with Sine Bang Nielsen, edited by Mille Breyen Hauschildt et al., Aleatorik
2026 The short story “Fish” in anthology (yet untitled) for secondary schools, LIFE Foundation
2015 Extract from En lodret drøm and Kort over himlen translated into Swedish in Nervsystem, Ellerströms forlag. 978-91-7247-407-9
Institutional texts
2026 “Policy recommendations for art institutions, galleries, and residencies to ensure equal access for artists and cultural producers who are parents”, policy recommendation for Institution(ing)s
2009 ”Documentary filmmaking in youth projects”, guide booklet for EU youth workers, published in EU’s resource centre for youth projects, SALTO
Edited books (selected)
2024 Moderelementet (The Mother Element), anthology of motherhood in Danish literature from 1895-2015, with Liv Duvå, Julie Sten-Knudsen, Ditte Holm Bro og Kirstine Reffstrup. Gutkind. 978-87-434-0731-7
2023 Afbrydelser (Interruptions), essays about women writers’ interrupted working conditions, Mikrobe. 978-87-974017-3-6
EXHIBITIONS & FESTIVALS (selected)
2019 Branches, galerie asterisk*, Berlin, Germany, curated by Christina Stark (intervention, solo)
2015 Folha, galerie asterisk*, Berlin, Germany, curated by Christina Stark (intervention, solo)
2013 Prosepina, galerie asterisk*, Berlin, Germany, curated by Christina Stark (intervention, solo)
2012 Fra min tunge er havet synligt, Kappelborg, Skagen, Denmark, curated by Winnie Nielsen (SOLO exhibition)
2012 Utopia Cabinet, ROOMS, Lisbon, Portugal, curated by Luísa Santos (Group exhibition)
2012 Merely abandoned, VESS, Copenhagen, Denmark, curated by Nora Moltke (Group exhibition)
2011 Da minha língua vê-se o mar, Gallery Round the Corner, Lisbon, Portugal, curated by Luísa Santos (SOLO exhibition)
2011 Jour de fête, The Private Space Gallery, Barcelona, Spain, curated by Alexandra Laudo and Pedro Torres (Group exhibition)
2011 FOKUS Videokunstfestival, Nikolaj Kunsthal, Copenhagen, Denmark (art gallery video festival)
2011 CologneOFF Baltic Sea, St. Petersburg, Tampere, Tallinn & Riga (film festival)
2011 Ourense International Film Festival, Ourense, Spain, October 2011 (film festival – IN COMPETITION)
2011 Vad International Video and Digital Arts Festival, Girona, Spain, October 2011 (film festival – IN COMPETITION)
2011 Video on the Beach Festival, Isola Cinema, Slovenia, (film festival – IN COMPETITION)
2010 Geography of Home, P28, Lisbon, Portugal, curated by Luísa Santos (Group exhibition)
2010 23rd Festival Les Instants Vidéo, Prague, Czech Republic & Marseille, France (film festival)
2010 Ljubljana Independent Documentary Film Festival (DokuBazaar), Ljubljana, Slovenia (film festival)
2010 Ourense International Film Festival, Ourense, Spain (film festival – IN COMPETITION)
2010 East Silver Market 2010, Prague, Czech Republic (film festival)
2010 Vilnius Film Shorts, Vilnius, Lithuania (film festival)
2010 Ljubljana International Short Film Festival, Slovenia, (film festival – IN COMPETITION)
2010 XXVI International Festival Sarajevo, World Art Tendency, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina (art festival)
2009 Platforma Video9 International Film Festival, Athens, Greece (film festival – IN COMPETITION)
2009 Izmir International Short Film Festival, Izmir, Turkey (film festival)
2008 4th ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival, Berlin, Germany (film festival)
PRIZES & GRANTS
Working grants
2026 Danish Arts Foundation
2023 Danish Arts Foundation
2023 Autorkontoen
2022 Danish Arts Foundation
2022 Danish Authors of Fiction and Poetry
2021 Danish Arts Foundation
2020 Danish Arts Foundation
2018 Danish Arts Foundation
2018 Autorkontoen
2017 Danish Arts Foundation
2017 Den sociale Autorkonto
2017 Lund/Bugges Legat
2016 Danish Arts Foundation
2013 Danish Arts Foundation
2012 Danish Arts Foundation
Performance grants
2024, 2023, 2022, 2015, 2014, 2012: Danish Arts Foundation
Production & exhibition grants
2022 Danish Arts Foundation
2012 Lademanns Fond
2011 Danish Arts Foundation
2009 EU’s Youth in Action programme
2009 Danish Film Directors’ Scholarship
2009 Filmkopi