International group exhibition puts Europe and the EU on the agenda this spring at Kunsthal Charlottenborg

In the group exhibition Europa Endlos a number of today’s most prominent artists such as Monica Bonvicini, Jeremy Deller, Olafur Eliasson, Fischli Weiss, Bouchra Khalili and Wolfgang Tillmans are occupied with themes such as identity, borders, community and migration. The exhibition is curated by Henriette Bretton-Meyer and opens on Thursday 21 March at Kunsthal Charlottenborg in collaboration with the documentary film festival CPH:DOX.

The current state of Europe and the future role of the EU
In 2019, Kunsthal Charlottenborg puts Europe and the EU on the agenda with the group exhibition Europa Endlos presented in collaboration with CPH:DOX, one of the world’s most important documentary film festivals.

The exhibition runs during the spring of 2019 which is marked by two central events in EU politics: Brexit which is Great Britain’s planned exit for the European Union on 29 March 2019 as well as the elections to the European Parliament on 26 May 2019. Both events challenge the democracy and will affect the lives of millions of Europeans and further afield.

Curator Henriette Bretton-Meyer has selected art works created by a number of today’s most prominent artists, who look into stories and themes central to the upcoming EU elections such as identity, labour, borders, community and migration. The art works are exhibited in Kunsthal Charlottenborg’s north wing within a significant exhibition architecture and will be accompanied by numerous discussions, talks and film screenings in collaboration with CPH:DOX.

Artists in the exhibition
The exhibition presents installation, sculpture, film and photography by the international artists Monica Bonvicini (1965, Italy), Jeremy Deller (1966, Great Britain), Daniil Galkin (1985, Ukraine), Sara Jordenö (1974, Sweden), Bouchra Khalili (1975, Morocco), and some older exponents such as Jimmie Durham (1940, USA), the artist duo Fischli Weiss with Peter Fischli (1952, Switzerland) and David Weiss (1946 – 2012, Switzerland) as well as the pioneers Olafur Eliasson (1967, Iceland/Denmark) and Wolfgang Tillmans (1968, Germany). All the selected art works deal with current topics regarding Europe today and EU’s role in the future, some with an activist approach, others in a more documentary style.

Sara Jordenö’s film Diamond People (2016) is a documentary film about working conditions and globalization, and Bouchra Khalili’s film work The Tempest Society (2017) created for documenta 14 addresses among other things contemporary Greece in Europe and the refugee crisis through a narrative about the French theater group Al Assifa from the 1970s with North African migrants and French students.

Daniil Galkin’s installation Tourniqet (2015) represents the idea about Fort Europe, Olafur Eliasson’s compas Crossing-paths compass (2018) is a navigation instrument symbolizing travel, movement and the opportunity to orientate oneself, whereas Monica Bonvicini’s sculpture The Scale of Things (To Come) (2010) looks like part of a Greek amphitheater and thus brings to mind the cradle of democracy in the southern Europe – however, in Bonvicini’s version the place for dialogue and exchange is shaped by iron chains and is without railing.

Jimmie Durham and the Swiss duo Fischli Weiss have documented their travels in Europe and the world, respectively – Durham himself is portrayed in his photo series In Europe (1994–) which he started when he moved to Europe. Fischli Weiss has photographed hundreds of airports from their travels through the world; at Kunsthal Charlottenborg London, Amsterdam and Berlin are presented from their series Airports (1987–2012).

Wolfgang Tillmans and Jeremy Deller work specifically with EU’s development in an activist way and express themselves clearly against Brexit and a fragile Europe through poster campaigns and t-shirts, respectively.

CPH:DOX at Kunsthal Charlottenborg
The exhibition is presented in collaboration with CPH:DOX, which for the third time transforms Kunsthal Charlottenborg into a festival mansion and headquarters for this year’s edition of one of the world’s most acknowledged documentary film festivals during the period 20 – 31 March. The exhibition Europa Endlos opens 21 March as part of a joint Europe theme including, among other events, a world premiere of the documentary film Democracy LTD by the Austrian film director Robert Schabus as well as talks and debates. In addition to the exhibition, the festival will present screenings, debates, concerts, business forum and virtual reality cinema at Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Further info about CPH:DOX’s program here.

Photos:
Daniil Galkin, Tourniqet, 2013. Metal, 14 x 10 x 20′. Photo by Sergey Illin. Courtesy the artist.

Peter Fischli David Weiss, Untitled (London, Air Europe), 1988/2000. Copyright Peter Fischli David Weiss, Zurich 2018. Courtesy Sprüth Magers, Matthew Marks Gallery New York and Los Angeles, Galerie Eva Presenhuber.

Bouchra Khalili, The Tempest Society, 2017. Digital film, 60′. Commissioned for documenta 14. View at documenta 14, ASFA, Athens. Photo by Stathis Mamalakis. Courtesy of the artist.

Wolfgang Tillmans, pro-EU / anti-Brexit campaign, 2016.