Previous exhibition
Isaac Julien - Western Union: small boats
About the exhibition
In 2018, we're shifting our focus away from the Nordic focus to open horizons and expand the senses. The series is called Intermezzo and shows art where the perception and understanding of the artworks happens through more than just the sense of sight. Among other things, the artists in this series work with a sensory spatiality of a more embracing nature.
About the exhibition
Isaac Julien (b. 1960) shows his three-screen work Western Union: small boats from 2007 in a completely enveloping blue room. The award-winning work depicts the refugee crisis that has unfolded in Europe in recent years, with the southern Italian island of Lampedusa in particular becoming known as a centre for refugees. The island is also a favourite tourist destination due to its beauty. Although the work was created ten years ago, the issue is still highly topical and just as urgent as it was in 2007.
The images have a seductive magic that leaves you spellbound by the beauty of the film. It takes a while to realise the historical consciousness, documentary elements and political bite that are also present in his films.
Isaac Julien has received numerous awards. In February 2018, Julien was awarded the CBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), which is one of the highest honours you can achieve in the UK. He was also nominated for the Turner Prize in 2001, and in 2017 he received the Charles Wollaston Award from the Royal Academy of Arts, London.
The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue with an introductory text by Chief Curator Lise Pennington and a peer-reviewed text by Anne Ring Petersen, Associate Professor at the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen.
Responsible for the exhibition: Lise Pennington, Chief Curator, ARoS.
Special thanks to
Ege
Nordea Fonden