Curatorial Work → A Part of Us
On view for six days, A Part of Us welcomed over 10,000 visitors and featured five engaging events. The exhibition explored what it means to be inside or outside a community, presenting art as a space for connection across life experiences and identities. I was responsible for coordinaton, exhibition concept development, communication, and curating the accompanyng event program.
Installation views of A Part of Us. Photos: Rikke Høyen and personal.
The group exhibition A Part Of Us took place at Nytorv, Copenhagen, during Copenhagen Pride Week 2023 and featured 12 Danish and international artists, including Mathias Bransholm, Lise Ulvedahl Carlsen, Carl-Johan Paulsen, Frida Retz, Ida Schmidt Petersen, Jørn Hulgaard Sørensen, Karim Boumjimar, Noah Holtegaard, Rikke Bogetoft, Daniel Nørresø Haase, Nicolai Risbjerg & Julie Yoko Fischer.
The participating artists applied through an Open Call and have been selected in collaboration with our Advisory Board consisting of Mathilde Fenger, Dennis Agerblad and Frederick Nathanael. The exhibition is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation and curated by Julie Yoko Fischer, Mathilde Preus Kristoffersen and I in close collaboration with the artists.
Installation views of A Part of Us. Photos: Rikke Høyen, Ulla Munch Petersen, and personal.
The exhibition title is a reference to A Part of Us by the musicians Fever Ray and Tami T. The song is about planting a tree that is watered with attention. The tree is recognised as part of an "us"; the self-selected family. In its safe environment, it can begin to take root and sprout.
Humans tend to surround themselves with those who remind them of themselves. The political rhetoric of "us" and "them" divides society into majority and minorities, which reinforces group division. But any of us can in certain situations experience being made "the other" and for that reason being undermined, excluded and hidden away, some more often than others.
All people need recognition from others, be it personal, political or social. Visibility and representation are therefore important. Historically, many voices have been excluded for a place in art history, for example LGBTI+ artists are usually severely underrepresented in art museums. This contributes to the fact that many groups generally do not feel seen and heard in society.
Art can give us different perspectives on reality and change how we think. A Part of Us reflects difference and diversity as a strength in art as well as in society. The intention is to create learning spaces where visual art, visual artists and the audience can unite and be in dialogue about identity, gender and sexuality in order to create a bridge between visual art and people, LGBTI+ people and the heteronormative majority.
Opening speeches, performances, and artist talks during the exhibition period of A Part of Us. Photos: Rikke Høyen and personal.
At Nytorv, petty criminals and s3x workers were publicly whipped on the city’s pillory until 1780—a tool of power used to shame and exclude individuals from society. With the exhibition A Part of Us, Pride Art temporarily occupied this space to create inclusive communities around art with its own artistic event program with a thematic focal point around LGBTI+ life experiences.
For the fernissage, political frontperson Lars Henriksen, art critic Mathias Kryger, and I gave opening speeches. Later that evening, froggy Filip Vest performed a striptease and had a breakdown over art, the experience economy, frogs, and s3x.
Inside the exhibition tent, discussions unfolded under the rainbow installation by Jørn Hulgaard Sørensen. One day, Frida Retz and journalist/editor Polina Bachlakova explored the intersections of art p0rn and ethical production. Another day, art historian Mikkel Kaul Kristensen engaged in a conversation with Carl-Johan Paulsen about queer potential, art, and mythology.
Under the new moon, deep collective reflection and care emerged as Rikke Bogetoft invited the audience to take part in a rebirth ceremony, symbolized by cutting their hair. Meanwhile, Nicolai Risbjerg staged a romantic gesture that left not just one but many guests with their pockets full.