This year Aarhus Art Building is presenting a series of exhibitions and discursive
events revolving the theme IMAGINE – towards an Eco-Aesthetic, taking a closer look
at alliances between art, micro-strategies for improving the world, and models for
social activism aimed towards sustainability.
Jane Jin Kaisen's Dissident Translations
& Ato Malinda's: Incommensurable Identities 8 October 2011–8 January 2012
The Danish-Korean artist Jane Jin Kaisen examines the Korean volcanic island, Jeju—a
microcosm of the ideological battles that led to the division of Korea, and a location
embedded with the multitude of layers that form both geopolitics and cultural identity
in central parts of east-Asia today. Kaisen produces a subjective 'translation' of
the tragic historical events connected to the U.S. occupation of South Korea, which
has had far-reaching consequences, not only for the environment, but also for the
country's population, their unique gender structure and economic, political and psychological
ecosystem. Dissident Translations is as a complex interpretation of artist's heritage,
Jeju's repressed past, the current military escalation and the future consequences.
In Incommensurable Identitiesthe Kenyan artist Ato Malinda focuses on African identity
in relation to the Aarhus Art Building's sustainability theme. With mythical narratives,
stories of women's political and social performances, the exhibition dreams of an
African renaissance. Alongside an Art Nouveau themed decoration and with an archaeological
survey, Malinda shows a way into the aching heart of Kenya and Africa—with a belief
that recognition of histories many facets may contribute to transformation, healing
and revitalization.
Right : Ato malinda, Prison Sex II, 2008-2009. Courtesy the artist
Below : Ato Malinda, On fait ensemble, 2010. Screenshot. Courtesy the artist
Exhibition 8 October 2011 - 8 January 2012. Aarhus Art Building - Centre for Contemporary
Art, J.M. Moerks Gade 13 - 8000 Aarhus c (Denmark). Opening hours Tuesday to Friday:
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday 12 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Monday closed.
