21 November 2024 16:50:15
open
c/o careof

Organizzazione non profit per l'arte contemporanea

c/o careof

Jeannette Ehlers • I AM HERE

CURATED BY
Martin Rørtoft (Arkipelago)

IN COLLABORATION WITH
BASE Milano, Ambasciata di Danimarca in Italia, VisitDenmark Milano & Istituto Culturale Nordico

SUPPORT BY
Danish Art Foundation & Knud Højgaards Fond

17.01.2019

CAN ART SPARK SOCIAL CHANGE?
@ BASE MILANO
5pm - 7pm
Screening and artist talk by Jeannette Ehlers

7pm - 9pm
Symposio: J. Ehlers, M. Angelotti, B. Catanzaro, A. Detheridge, M. Melilli, M. Rørtoft and G. ScardiFrom

18.01.2019 to 25.01.2019
exhibition @Careof
Opening 18.01.2019 h 6pm

In I am Here, Jeannette Ehlers faces us with European narratives that are often ignored on purpose: topics like colonialism, migrations, and human trafficking often intertwine. The exhibition, hosted by Careof, is centered around two video works: The Gaze (2018) and Invisible Empire (2010).

Jeannette Ehlers is a Danish artist of Caribbean descent, whose artistic research flows between video, photography, and performance to critically investigate historical connections between western colonization and today’s migration flows.

In her last video The Gaze, Ehlers focuses on structural bonds that tie colonialism, racism, and migration. The silent stories of migration are told through the eyes and the bodies of the people that look back at us from the screen. Invisible Empire explores the topic of transatlantic slave trade in relation to a modern form of slavery. By integrating the figure of the father into this context, the artist weaves her personal story together with the work’s narrative. Her exploration of historical links and personal implications allow the viewer to identify with the characters and raise awareness about slavery in globalized societies.

BIOGRAPHY JEANNETTE EHLERS

Jeannette Ehlers

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark.Graduated from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts 2006. Experimental nature generally characterizes Jeannette Ehlers's work. Image manipulation is often included in the artist's photographic and video based works. On these changeable terms meaning and identity are explored, in both a sophisticated and immediate way. For years she has created cinematic universes that delve into ethnicity and identity inspired by her own Danish / West Indian background. She challenges and explores the film medium’s ability to communicate in a visually fascinating and engaging language. Creating imaginative stories with both edge and sharpness, her work still retain the broad appeal. Her pieces revolve around big questions and difficult issues, such as Denmark's role as a slave nation - part of the Danish cultural heritage, which often gets overlooked in the general historiography. In the Spring 2014 Jeannette Ehlers had a major solo presentation of her works at Nikolaj Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center. Her works were also part of the group show CARIBBEAN: Crossroads of the World, Pérez Art Museum Miami as well as DAK’ART 2014, Biennale of Dakar, Senegal among more.