New Settlements

New Settlements was about urbanity, and about how modern Western society has developed and history is written. The exhibition is furthermore concerned with society's repression and with how history is affected by the culture of consumption, advertising and media.

Through photographs, installations, drawings, performances and text and video works the exhibition identified new and alternative ways of living and thinking; and New Settlements at the same time attempted to show various Utopian representations of new spaces and new ideas.

This was the first time that several of the 18 artists from Europe, Africa and South and North America was exhibiting in Denmark. New works presented the spectator with interpretations of the modern, urban life. Some works were concerned with distancing themselves from Western culture, some were concerned with the fascination with it. Other works were dreamy or historical comments on society. Yet other works addressed specific problems in relation to 20th century social development, history and norms.

"Unable to express their own emotions or respond to those of the people around them, suffocated under a mantle of praise and encouragement, they were trapped forever within a perfect universe. In a totally sane society, madness is the only freedom".

Thus the British author J.G. Ballard in his 1988 book, 'Running Wild', described the situation of a group of children, living in a secluded, luxurious group of houses north of London. The would-be perfect life in Pangbourne Village leads the children to kill their parents and disappear without a trace — on their way to new settlements and new ways of life??

Dave Hullfish Bailey (USA), Jeremy Blake (USA), John Bock (D), Chris Burden (USA), Gerard Byrne (GB), Miles Coolidge (USA), Sam Durant (USA), Carsten Höller (D), Bodys Isek Kingelez (DR, Congo), Mike Nelson (GB), Cady Noland (USA), Henrik Olesen (DK), Pia Rönicke (DK), Silke Schatz (D), Julia Scher (USA), Sean Snyder (USA), Adriana Varejão (Bra) and Kara Walker (USA).

Pressetext

New Settlements

mit Dave Hullfish Bailey, Jeremy Blake, John Bock, Chris Burden, Gerard Byrne, Miles Coolidge, Sam Durant, Carsten Höller, Bodys Isek Kingelez, Mike Nelson, Cady Noland, Henrik Olesen, Pia Rönicke, Silke Schatz, Julia Scher, Sean Snyder, Adriana Varejao, Kara Walker