CPH:DOX and Kunsthal Charlottenborg joins forces with leading institutions to promote new initiative on human rights

For many years and counting, Kunsthal Charlottenborg has been one of the central gathering points during Copenhagen’s international documentary film festival CPH:DOX, where audiences have been able to experience films, debates, and art under one roof.

Over the next three years, CPH:DOX and Kunsthal Charlottenborg—together with partners such as Human Rights Watch Denmark and with support from the newly established Frececo Foundation—will focus on human rights through the new initiative HUMAN:RIGHTS. This initiative includes an exhibition, a thematic film program, numerous talks and debates, as well as educational programs for school classes—an agenda that seems more important than ever.

HUMAN:RIGHTS in focus

On December 10, 1948, in Paris, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ensuring freedom, dignity, and equal rights for all people. The declaration was created in the aftermath of World War II, and 80 years later, human rights remain just as relevant.

“Through documentary films, art, conversation, and debate, CPH:DOX and Kunsthal Charlottenborg have both the credibility and the platform to communicate human rights through real people and lived experiences. This collaboration ensures that the many nuances behind the legal articles come to light: that human rights are not only about protecting lives and freedom of speech or preventing torture, but also about the right to assembly, the right to equal treatment, and the right to education,” says Niklas Engstrøm, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX.

In December 2024, a Nordic survey* revealed that 53% of Danes could not name a single specific human right, while 83% of Danes expressed support for human rights—indicating a need for greater awareness of what human rights encompass and why they exist.

“A focus on human rights is more important than ever. We aim to highlight this through documentaries covering everything from coercion in psychiatry and freedom of speech protections in Denmark to women’s rights and freedom of choice around the world. We are excited to reveal the films and guests that will be part of the HUMAN:RIGHTS program at CPH:DOX,” Engstrøm continues.

Human Rights Articles as balloon bouquets

When CPH:DOX takes place from March 19-30, 2025, Kunsthal Charlottenborg will serve as the central hub for the HUMAN:RIGHTS film screenings and debates. Additionally, visitors will be able to experience a solo exhibition by Turkish visual artist Banu Cennetoğlu. One of the exhibition’s standout works, right? (2022 – ), features massive bouquets of gold letter-shaped balloons, each representing selected articles from the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“In a rapidly changing world facing major national and global challenges, we believe that the voice of art is essential in offering new perspectives and insights. We are excited to present a solo exhibition by Banu Cennetoğlu, whose work explores how the production and distribution of information shape our world. At Kunsthal Charlottenborg, she will connect everyday life with urgent global issues, drawing from her extensive private image archive in dialogue with critical examinations of the press and the UN’s human rights declaration,” says Henriette Bretton-Meyer, curator and managing director of Kunsthal Charlottenborg.

Alongside Banu Cennetoğlu’s exhibition, Kunsthal Charlottenborg will also present the Disobedience Archive, last shown at the 2024 Venice Biennale. This exhibition features video works addressing human rights, as well as the relationship between artistic practice and political action.

Both exhibitions will be open at Kunsthal Charlottenborg starting March 19, the opening day of CPH:DOX.