Larissa Sansour, These Moments Will Disappear Too, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen
While many of Larissa Sansour’s works are driven by complex narratives, the video triptych As If No Misfortune Had Occurred in the Night (2022) was a pure expression of grief conveyed through slow-moving images, religious iconography, and an enchanting blend of opera and traditional Palestinian folk song. I have heard people say it was too laden with pathos, but to me that mostly reflects our odd relationship to grief in this culture. Grief should not be kept in check by a tight concept. Grief should be allowed to wash through the body like a black wave, and the voices of the oppressed should be allowed to fill the space – including, as was the case here, the entire great hall at Charlottenborg.
Miriam Kongstad, Bitch, The Frederiksberg Museums, Frederiksberg
Four female characters – a guitarist, a clown, a female dog, and a pregnant teenager – took the leading roles in Kongstad’s performance, which explored feminine power and sexuality. Kongstad has a keenly honed sense of how to construct visually compelling tableaux, in this case a razor-sharp scene in black and pink in an underground car park. Bitch showed just how well performance can work when it is taken seriously: when the lighting and sound is handled with care, when the dancers are consummate professionals, and when the work is allowed to occupy large, theatrical spaces.
Uffe Isolotto, Mælkeøje (Milk Eye), Holstebro Art Museum, Holstebro
Visiting Uffe Isolotto’s installation was like walking around a crime scene and, like a detective, trying to work out what had happened. From mysterious marks on the walls and abandoned dormitories to the central church space, the work was suffused with a meticulously realised sepia-toned retrofuturism that reinforced the narrative of an isolated sect. It appeared that only one person could solve the mystery: a hyper-realistic sculpture of a young girl with a blurred gaze, sitting in a trance on the floor. With overwhelming scenographic precision, Isolotto suggested a chilling chain of events leading up to this point, a suggestion that lodged itself in the body.
– Louise Steiwer lives in Copenhagen and is one of Kunstkritikk’s regular contributors. She writes on most subjects and has, among other things, a particular interest in Greenlandic art and culture.
For this year’s contributions to the Advent Calendar, see here
