Unravellings, Udstillingsstedet Meter, Copenhagen, DK
Curated by Rie Hovmann Rasmussen and Louise Lassen Iversen
2017 is the centenary of Denmark’s sale of the Caribbean Islands St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John to the US. For 250 years these islands were exploited as a profitable sugar industry, based on slave labour. Three quarters of the islands’ population today are the descendants of slaves and the structural and mental imprints of colonialism are still evident. Architectural details and street names bear witness to the Danish presence on the islands. Conversely colonialism helped to finance the Danish state and the construction of many of the historic buildings in Copenhagen. Our ownership of the islands influenced the development of Denmark both economically and structurally. But what about the mental imprints left on us by colonialism? Is an awareness of this part of our past only upheld through a sense of history or does it also influence our understanding of ourselves?
Unravelings is an exhibition of both national and international art that will slowly take form, develop and expand through different stages over the five-month long exhibition period.
For more information see this link.