WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA OF THE PROJECT?

Global environmental problems such as climate has necessitated new ways of thinking the world. Former national, cultural and social divisions no longer make sense, but must be redefined or even transcended. The exhibition RETHINK – Contemporary Art & Climate Change is intended to offer a starting point for a more wide-ranging discussion of the cultural consequences of climate change and of the role played by contemporary art in discussions on climate issues.

Art has the capacity to investigate and suggest new ways of living as well as inspire us to see our surroundings in a new light. The artists featured in RETHINK all share this fundamental aim to rethink the relationships in which we take part.

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT INCLUDE?

RETHINK is an art project that thematises climate change through Nordic and international contemporary art. The project consists of a large art exhibition that presents works by Nordic and international contemporary artists working at the intersection of arts, climate change, culture and technology. Some of these works are new. The Nordic Culture Fund has appointed the exhibition The Nordic Exhibition of the Year 2009–2010. RETHINK opened in Denmark on October 31st in 2009 as a prelude to COP15, the UN climate conference. It was presented at Statens Museum for Kunst (the Danish national gallery), Nikolaj Copenhagen Contemporary Art Centre, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art , Moesgaard Museum and on the Internet. Afterwards, the exhibition traveled to the other Nordic countries and was shown at Tensta Konsthall in Stockholm, Sweden, and at Stavanger Art Museum in Stavanger, Norway.

The project is run by the Alexandra Institute and is carried out in close cooperation with the National Gallery, Kunsthallen Nikolaj, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art.

HOW IS THE PROJECT FINANCED?

RETHINK is funded by the Nordic Culture Fund, the Branding Denmark Fund, the Municipality of Copenhagen, and the visual arts committee of the Danish Arts Council.