Political Art: Introduction to a story and a concept

Laesoe Art Hall made a strong claim to new fame when the exhibition “The political art” opened in June 2019. The exhibition was already under massive attack, much due to the fact that it opened only 72 hours after the general elections that year. Thus the exhibition was used as a tool of communication among political actors in the elecation campaigns. This possibly fueled the massive attention it gained.

Much of the content of the exhibition was guided by the organisation Passion For Freedom in London.

In 2021 a new version of the same concept was made into an exhibition in a collaboration between Laesoe Art Hall and The Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art (CSW) in Warsaw, and again with Passion For Freedom. All three partners contributed with lists of artists to present.

 

The Warsaw edition of Political Art was seen by roughly 25.000 guests, and reviewed or condemned in more than 100 articles around the world. Add to that TV and radio debates in Poland, Denmark and Sweden. The opening of the exhibition was announced in Norwegian afternoon radio, and a feature about it was printed in a newspaper in Guatemala.

In 2023 the Danish publisher Alinea introduced an educational online platform called “Political Art” for 10th-graders in the public school. The content was written by Yours Truly. Also in 2023 Laesoe Art Hall was contacted by a media corporation doing research on Political Art.

Also in 2023 work is being done to create a third version of the exhibition in a major Western city. 

“Political Art” belong to the Critical Art tradition and is often blended with or misinterpreted as ‘political communication’. We use the term to designate art arising from a suffering consciousness over issues occuring in the political domain. ‘Political communication’, on the other hand, consists of clear messages from a sender to a number of receivers.

“Political art is a form of artistic expression that intertwines with politics, social issues, and activism. It serves as a powerful tool for artists to convey their perspectives, critique societal norms, and provoke thought and dialogue about the pressing matters that shape our world. Rooted in history and continuing to evolve, political art has played a significant role in inspiring social change, challenging power structures, and amplifying marginalized voices.

Since ancient times, art has been used to communicate political messages, often reflecting the prevailing ideologies and power dynamics of the era. From ancient civilizations’ depictions of rulers and conquests to the revolutionary propaganda of the 20th century, artists have embraced their ability to shape public opinion and challenge the status quo through their creations.

Political art takes various forms, encompassing paintings, sculptures, photography, street art, performance art, and more. Artists engage with political themes by addressing issues such as human rights, social injustice, war, inequality, gender and racial discrimination, environmental concerns, and government policies. They confront viewers with thought-provoking imagery, symbolism, and narratives, aiming to evoke emotions, raise awareness, and foster critical thinking.

One of the distinctive qualities of political art is its ability to transcend boundaries and reach a diverse audience. It often employs visual metaphors, satire, or provocative aesthetics to subvert established norms and challenge the dominant narratives. By doing so, political art encourages viewers to question their assumptions, reflect on their own beliefs, and engage in broader conversations about the complex realities of our world.

In an era of global connectivity and social media, political art has gained even greater visibility and impact. Artists can now reach a wider audience instantaneously, creating art that transcends borders and resonates with people across cultures and geographies. The digital realm has also enabled new forms of artistic expression, including online activism, digital art, and interactive installations that engage viewers in immersive experiences.

Political art serves as a testament to the power of creativity, offering a unique lens through which we can examine and challenge the world around us. It invites us to question authority, imagine alternative futures, and actively participate in shaping a more just and equitable society. By blending artistry with social consciousness, political art stands as a potent force that illuminates the intersections between aesthetics, politics, and the human experience.”

Jon Eirik Lundberg and Chatgtp

 

Christian Vind om sin kunst

Kunstneren Christian Vind besøgte udstillingen “At skabe virkelighed” og reflekterede over sin egen kunst. Det kom der tre små udsendelser af. Her er den første.

The artist Christian Vind came by our exhibition and gave an improvised talk about his art and works. We made three small movies out of that and this is the first.

Anbefaling af udstillingen “At skabe virkelighed”

Tidsskriftet kunsten.nu, som dækker den danske kunstscene med månedligt opdaterede guides online og på papir, anbefaler Læsø Kunsthals udstilling “At skabe virkelighed” som en udstilling man ikke må gå glip af.

The Danish art magazine kunsten.nu recommends our current exhibition, “To Create Reality”, in their current edition.

At skabe virkelighed: jubilæumsudstilling 2012 – 2022

 

Plakat for udstillingen At skabe virkelighed

”At skabe virkelighed” er Læsø Kunsthals 10 års jubilæumsudstilling. Den afspejler den rejse kunsthallen har befundet sig på, fra et eksperiment i midlertidige bygninger til en aktør på den nationale og internationale kunstscene. Undervejs har Læsø Kunsthal fundet sin niche. Som er at skabe udstillinger der giver publikum en nøgle til en gåde i tilværelsen.

I 2022 stiller vi spørgsmålet Hvad er kunst? Hvad er det kunstværker egentlig gør, som både kan skabe interessante samtaler og overraskende erkendelser, men også raseri og usikkerhed? Hvad er det der er på spil? Rundt om kunsten opstår der noget der har betydning for os selv, de fællesskaber vi indgår i og verden som helhed. Vi er stolte af at kunne belyse dette gennem værker af markante kunstnere, som alle har fået en relation til Læsø gennem kunsthallen, og hvis arbejder har bidraget til at placere Læsø på verdenskortet.  

Vi præsenterer værker af Christian Vind, Hartmut Stockter, Miriam Elia, Steen Rasmussen, Erik K. Christensen, Helene Høie, Alexander Thieme, Till Verclas, Jonas og Peter Lautrop

+ værker fra den faste samling af Jørgen Haugen Sørensen, Per Kirkeby, Pablo Picasso, Erik Sparre og Salvador Dalí.

I videorummet viser gæstekurator Tamara Palienko nutidig videokunst fra Ukraine. De 14 videoværker er skabt af Surenzh, Ziu Poberezhniuk, Victoria Ostrenko & Kira Max, Mano Glonti & Nika Nazarenko, Annete Sagal og Katya Sytazkiva & Kira Max.

I selve udstillingen viser Tamara billed-objekter af Roman Piar.

 

Arrangementer afvikles løbende hen over sommeren. Følg os på Facebook for nyheder.

Særarrangement 9. juli kl. 12:00: ”Kunst og cancel culture”: Samtale med Jørn Mortensen, Dekan på School of Arts, Design, and Media, Høyskolen Kristiania, Oslo. Tidligere rektor på Kunsthøjskolen i Oslo. Efterfølgende debat. Arrangeret i samarbejde med Læsø gamle skole. Eventen opdateres.

 

CREATING REALITY

”Creating Reality” is the 10 years anniversary exhibition in Laesoe Art Hall. In this exhibition we reflect over the question what art is, or rather what art does. Art plays a crucial role in the process by which we organise our experiences. We do so in narrations, and nowhere is this process more materially at hand than in works of art. Narrations organising experiences is the foundation of what we call reality. We are proud to present a group of exceptional artists whose works acutely brings forth the essential features of art; from the thought-thing to the materialised idea; and from the mystical depth of subjective experiences to the curious observations of everyday life.

In the video room guest curator Tamara Palienko present contemporary Ukrainian video art. The 14 videoes are created by Surenzh, Ziu Poberezhniuk, Victoria Ostrenko & Kira Max, Mano Glonti & Nika Nazarenko, Annete Sagal and Katya Sytazkiva & Kira Max.

In the main hall Tamara presents picture-objects by Roma Piar.

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Udstillingsrum i Læsø Kunsthal

Udsnit af udstillingen “At skabe virkelighed”, Læsø Kunsthal 2022. Foto: Jon Eirik Lundberg

 

 

Værker af Alexander Thieme og Till Verclas i Læsø Kunsthal

Alexander Thieme, “Carpet Bomber”. På væggen: Till Verclas, “Tugs”. Foto: Jon Eirik Lundberg

 

 

Værker af Steen Rasmussen i Læsø Kunsthal

Steen Rasmussen, “Oplysningens søjler”, “”Forbandede ungdom”, “Rejsebøger”. Foto: Jon Eirik Lundberg

 

Værker af Roma Piar i Læsø Kunsthal

Roma Piar, “One of all / All is many”, “Lovebirds”, “Inextricable parting”. Foto: Jon Eirik Lundberg

 

Jonas og Peter Lautrop tegninger i Læsø Kunsthal 2022

Peter Lautrop & Jonas Lautrop, tegninger. Foto: Jon Eirik Lundberg

 

Kunstværk af Helene Høie i udstillingen "At skabe virkelighed"

Helene Høie, “The Spirited”. Foto: Jon Eirik Lundberg

Værker af Hartmut Stockter og Steen Rasmussen i Læsø Kunsthal 2022

Hartmut Stockter, “Mand i træ”, Steen Rasmussen, “I begyndelsen var”. Foto: Jon Eirik Lundberg


Tak til / The exhibition is sponsored by

Augustinusfonden, Læsø Kommune, Region Nordjylland,

Knud Højgaards Fond, Toyotafonden og Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond

for støtte i 2022

 

 

Podcastserie om Læsø Kunsthal og “Den politiske kunst”

(In English below)

 

En ny podcastserie i tre dele, “Oprør i kunsthallen”, går i kødet på Læsø Kunsthals udstilling “Den politiske kunst” fra 2019, og dækker også den opfølgende udstilling “Political Art” i Warszawa 2021-22.

Undervejs bidrager professor og filosof Henrik Kaare Nielsen ved Aarhus Universitet med denne smukke passage:

”De her offentlige udstillingssteder er jo kendetegnet ved at de skal være der for os alle sammen.Kunsthaller, kunstmuseer, koncertsale, biblioteker er offentlige kulturinstitutioner som i de sidste hundrede år har været helt afgørende for udviklingen af et demokratisk og kulturelt rigt samfund. De er grundlagt på den kulturelle offentligheds idé, som handler om at vi har fælles anliggender … de her institutioner er sat i verden for at skabe tilbud og udfoldelsesmuligheder for vores samtale. (…) Det at være menneske i et moderne samfund skal kunne artikuleres og blive gjort tilgængeligt for alle.”

—

In a new podcast serie, a Danish cultural anthropologist explore the story of Laesoe Art Hall’s exhibition “The political art” and its repercussions in 2019. In conversations with artists, curators, politicians and scientists Tine Sommer closes in on the deeper mechanisms behind this one example of “cancel culture” as it unfolded, and what it means. The philosopher and professor at Aarhus University, Henrik Kaare Nielsen, says in a particularly brilliant passage:

“These public exhibitions are characterised by the fact that they should be there for all of us.
Art galleries, art museums, concert halls and libraries are public cultural institutions which, over the last hundred years, have been crucial to the development of a democratic and culturally rich society. They are founded on the idea of the cultural public sphere, which is about our common concerns … these institutions were created to provide opportunities for our conversation. (…) The experiences of how to be a human being in a modern society must be articulated and made accessible to all.”

(My translation / Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version))

 

The picture below says: “Riot in the Art Hall”

 

The Pirates of The Kattegat: A glimpse into Peter Cohen’s political fantasy world

The Swedish film director Peter Cohen has written a smear towards the late artist Lars Vilks, who died in a tragic car accident on October 3rd. This is a reply to that text.

The fate of Lars Vilks, being under heavy security protection for 14 years, was a constant embarassment to Sweden. The country is one of the most advanced in the world and portrays itself as a “humanitarian superpower”. Yet a bunch of fanatical lunatics managed to boss around with Sweden over a simple drawing. The country had no idea what to put up with this enemy, and still doesn’t. In forseeable future it will be difficult to treat the legacy of Vilks with normal scientific practice in Sweden due to the security issues.

The head of Sweden’s most prominent museum, Gitte Ørskou, denounced Vilks’ most famous work only a few days after the death of the artist. It is not hard to see that the accusation that the drawing is “based on hateful iconography” is an excuse covering up the real issue, which is security.

Peter Cohen is on a twofold mission. On the one side he wants to divert attention away from these complex problems. On the other he wants to smear the Polish government.

For this purpose he has to invent a complete parallel reality. The Polish government, he claims, has ordered an exhibition from Laesoe Art Hall. This accusation is pointing to the exhibition “Political Art” at the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warzaw. 18 works of Vilks are presented there. Why, you might think, would the Polish government purchase the services of the perhaps smallest art institution in the world? According to Peter Cohen beceause the art hall is the base for a right wing extremist network. As something quite unusual, at least historically speaking, this network is engaged in the production of contemporary art.

Alas, the right wing Polish government has found a partner in crime.

In the process of making this story up the film director starts portraying Lars Vilks as a kind of Don Quixote. The satirical figure is, however, also the center of the former mentioned “right wing cult” which has come into existence on Laesoe. Cohen seems to disagree with himself as to the status of Vilks; whether he is comical or dangerous. Unable to make the choice Cohen goes with both at the same time.

Five days before his piece was published Peter Cohen called me. He did not present himself, so I had no idea who I was talking to. He had only two questions: 1) Did the Polish government order the exhibition? 2) “Do you have Facetime on your phone?”

I immediatly thought I was talking to some slightly confused fellow citizen, and answered politely, making sure he had understood what I said.

1) No, the government of that huge Central European country did not order an exhibition from Laesoe Art Hall.

2) Learning that I did have Facetime on my phone Cohen said he would call me back another day and talk about the exhibition.

He never did so. Instead he produced what could serve as the plot for a Scandinavian version of Pirates of the Caribbean. Which is a bit funny, since I actually always thought of the art hall as a pirate ship, a privateer, in that the Art Hall is not funded by the government. Being “hired” by foreign governments makes that story even more entertaining, as the historical pirates were also used by governments in shady operations.

Jon Eirik Lundberg


Når kun løgnen står tilbage

Kristeligt Dagblad publicerede den 2. oktober en klumme om udstillingen “Political Art” og Uwe Max Jensens performance “Between The World And Me”. Som man kan se af videoen gengiver avisen forløbet helt forkert. Og selv hvis man gengiver det korrekt i forhold til videoen, så er videoen i sig selv en redigeret version, og derfor et lidt andet værk end den egentlige performance. Der er tilført musik, og passager med tavshed er klippet væk. Videoen er en dramatiseret udgave.

Ud over den falske gengivelse tilføjer Kristeligt Dagblad en lang række anklager om kriminelle forhold, fremført af en gruppering som kalder sig UKK. Avisen undersøger ikke forholdet mellem anklagerne og virkeligheden. Hvis nogle som helst af de ting UKK beskylder Læsø Kunsthal for var sande, ville politiet været involveret. 

Kristeligt Dagblad videreformidler UKKs anklager uden at invitere Læsø Kunsthal til et modsvar. Men avisen undersøger heller ikke hvad UKK er for noget. Når man googler UKK kommer man til en organisation med navnet Unge Kunstnere og Kuratorer. Men i Kristeligt Dagblads tekst omtales de som Organisation For Kunstnere, Kuratorer og Kunstformidlere. Hvordan dette navneskifte skal forstås fortælles der intet om. Der er heller ingen forklaring på hvordan kunstnere og formidlere kan have en fælles brancheorganisation, når de repræsenterer modsatrettede interesser. Det svarer til at arbejdsgiverne melder sig ind i LO.

I programmet Kulturen på P1 fik UKK anledning til at forsvare de voldsomme retoriske udfald mod Læsø Kunsthal. Talspersonen blev imidlertid præsenteret som “tidligere leder” og “en af mange ledere”. Hvorfor bliver en organisation repræsenteret ved en tidligere leder i stedet for en nuværende? Og hvordan kan der være tale om ledere i uspecificeret flertal?

Des nærmere man kigger på UKK, des mere går organisationen i opløsning. Der er i praksis ingen afsender bag de vanvittige udfald.

Kristeligt Dagblad vælger at servere læserne en byge af grundløse anklager om politiske forbrydelser, fremført af en afsender ingen ved hvem er. Det kan umuligt være i tråd med god presseskik.

Ingen tilgængelig beskrivelse.

Lars Vilks (1946-2021)

Det er med stor sorg vi erfarer at kunstneren Lars Vilks er død. Lars Vilks fik til dels ufrivilligt rollen som en af de mest betydningsfulde politiske kunstnere da en international terrorbevægelse udnyttede hans berømmelse ved at true ham på livet. Siden 2007 levede han under konstant politibeskyttelse. Situationen gjorde det vanskeligt for ham at agere på kunstscenen, da mange vurderede det som for farligt og kontroversielt at vise hans værker. I 2019 bidrog han med tegninger og malerier til Læsø Kunsthals udstilling “Den politiske kunst”. En betydeligt større udgave af den udstilling vises for tiden på Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art i Warszawa, Polen. I den udstilling bidrager Lars Vilks med oliemalerier og en fortolkning af skulpturen Nimis.

Lars Vilks opfattede sin livssituation som truet kunstner som en del af et værk, og den tilgang var formentlig en vigtig grund til at han ufortrødent arbejdede videre. Han anlagde et instrumentelt og nøgternt blik på trusselbilledet, og kommenterede på sin tilværelses mange små forhindringer med galgenhumor. Han bød sine forfølgere den ultimative trods ved at overvinde dem. De kunne ikke få ham ned, hverken som kunstner eller som menneske.

 

Æret være hans minde.

the artist Lars Vilks in Warzaw 2021

Lars Vilks in Warzaw 2021. Photo: JEL

It is with profound sorrow that we learn our dear friend Lars Vilks has been involved in a fatal traffic accident. Vilks rose to global fame when his satirical comment on the Danish “cartoon crisis”, a drawing depicting a certain symbolic figure’s head mounted on a dog, was cancelled from an exhibition (with the theme “dog”) in 2007. The drawing is currently part of the exhibition “Political Art” at the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warzaw, Poland. Vilks considered his life situation a part of his work and never gave in to the pressures against him. The situations, the people involved in his security etc. were elements in a giant art piece. In this way he won over his persecutors. We honour the memory of this profound artist and our thoughts are with his friends and family.

 

the artist Lars Vilks in Warzaw 2021

Lars Vilks signing the poster for the exhibition “Den politiske kunst” in Laesoe Art Hall, june 2019. Photo: JEL

Udstilling i Warszawa: “Political Art”

Læsø Kunsthal samarbejder i år med den største institution for samtidskunst i Polen, U-jazdowski Castle Centre For Contemporary Art. Institutionen er lokaliseret i det svenske barok-slot U-jazdowski fra 1624. Slottet har været ødelagt og genopbygget ad flere omgange, og blev senest destrueret af det kommunistiske regime efter 2. verdenskrig. Det blev genopbygget i sin nuværende i 60’erne som en institution for kunst. 

Udstillingen “Political Art” bygger videre på ideerne bag udstillingen “Den politiske kunst” i Læsø Kunsthal 2019, men er udvidet så den omfatter 27 kunstnere fra hele verden. Direktøren for Ujazdowski, Piotr Bernatowic, har i en årrække arbejdet med et program for kunstnere der bliver udgrænset af deres egen samtid. Udstillingen i 2021 er således en syntese af de to projekter. Udstillingen åbner den 27. august og varer til januar 2022. Det er den største visning af nutidig politisk kunst nogensinde.

 

Laesoe Art Hall is proud to announce a brand new collaboration with the most important institution for contemporary art in Poland, the U-jazdowski Castle Centre For Contemporary Art. The exhibition “Political Art” is the conclusion of the works of a group of people. Piotr Bernatowic, director of U-jazdowski, has for years worked on a concept termed “inner peripheri”; artists who are kept aside by curatotors and institutions in their own time due to conceptions of their “attitudes” or “political views”. The group Passion For Freedom has for more than a decade arranged exhibitions for artists that has been victims of political censorship. And Laesoe Art Hall in 2019 arranged the exhibition “Political art”, and gathered experiences relevant to both approaches. A new exhibition, opening on the 27th of August 2021, draws on all of these projects and experiences. It will be the most wide-spanning exhibition of contemporary political art that has ever been arranged.



Sommerens udstilling:

 

Firoozeh Bazrafkan (f. i Iran 1982) er uddannet billedkunstner fra Det Jyske Kunstakademi. Med sin dansk-iranske baggrund har hun markeret sig som en sjælden skikkelse i dansk kunst, og hendes værker bidrager med en ny stemme på kunstscenen og i den aktuelle samfundsdebat. I sine systemkritiske performances og videoværker sætter hun spørgsmålstegn ved sit eget kulturelle ophav, og de begrænsninger som hun ser sin egen generation i Iran og Danmark kæmpe med. Firoozeh Bazrafkans kunst udfordrer etablerede forestillinger i kunsten, samfundet og medierne. Hendes arbejde drives af de spørgsmål, der følger samtidskunsten som en skygge: Hvor langt kan kunsten egentlig tillade sig at gå ud ad den tangent, og hvor går grænsen i dag for hvad folk vil finde sig i?

Se udstillingen WOMEN i Læsø Kunsthal fra 15. juni til 15. august 2021

 

Firoozeh Bazrafkan (b. in Iran, 1982) is a Danish-iranian artist educated from the Jutland Academy of Art. Situated in both Danish and Iranian contemporary culture, Firoozeh Bazrafkan is concerned with her own cultural background and the limitations her own generation is dealing with. She is confronting established and habitual worldviews and norms in art, the society and in the media. The underlying question inspiring her work traces contemporary art like a shadow: How far can an artist go in this respect, where are the limits for what people will accept in one’s own time.

 

Please enjoy the exhibition WOMEN in Laesoe Art Hall between 15th of June and 15th of August

 

Udstillingen er generøst støttet af William Demant Fonden og Knud Højgaards Fond