Flaget

2017–2117

Donghee Koo, Good Luck, 2022. Photo: Lau Lehrmann — Donghee Koo, *Good Luck*, 2022. Photo: Lau Lehrmann

Ditte Gantriis, Kjærlighed. Foto: Mikkel Kaldal. — Ditte Gantriis, *Kjærlighed*. Foto: Mikkel Kaldal.

Sophia Ioannou Gjerding, Rebreather: The wind as a drunk, 2020. Photo: Mikkel Kaldal — Sophia Ioannou Gjerding, *Rebreather: The wind as a drunk*, 2020. Photo: Mikkel Kaldal

Henrik Plenge Jakobsen, Stripes and Stripes, 2019. Photo: Mikkel Kaldal

Bodil Nielsen, Festlig teglrød, 2017. — Bodil Nielsen, *Festlig teglrød*, 2017.

What do we understand by a flag?

A flag is a signal-giving piece of material. A loaded object and icon, which is often used as a symbol of politics, status, war, peace, territories, in connection with geopolitics and sports, but also the logo for various trademarks. All of the independent countries have flags, but there are also flags – such as the freestate Christiania's characteristic flag or (without comparison) the ISIS flag – which has iconic status, even though they do not represent nation states.

Flags produced by artists have a long and interesting history. There are many good reasons why flags are still relevant to the process and used within artistic and aesthetic practice. The symbol of the flag is used extensively in works during the last 100 years of art history. They are often covered with history and meaning, sometimes isolated like Jasper Johns flags (1954) or David Hammons African-American Flag (1990). Other times, the flag comments on a major political debate, for example, Eugène Delacroix, La Liberté guidant le peuple (1830), Poul Gernes proposal for an EC flag (1972), Daniel Buren's minimalistic Les Guirlandes (1982) on Documenta 7 in Kassel or Ai Weiwei's flag in connection with the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (2018).

Since 2017, Kunsthal Aarhus has invited an artist to produce a new flag every year that we raise over Kunsthal Aarhus. The flags are commissioned one year at a time. The first flag was created for Kunsthal Aarhus 100 Anniversary by the artist Bodil Nielsen.

Donghee Koo, Good Luck, 2022

For this year's artistic flag at Kunsthal Aarhus, the Korean artist Donghee Koo has been inspired by a well-known Korean talisman. The symbol for happiness and wish fulfilment, which is why the title of the work is fittingly Good Luck.

The talisman is made up of a combination of Chinese characters, which stems from the now past mix of Korean and Chinese writing called Hanja.
The writing can be difficult to decipher as letters. Donghee Koo was interested in the talisman's dual-sided qualities of a scripture part and an abstract part similar to a hieroglyph, in which the form, among other things, appears to show a reptile.

The artist hopes that the flag can help bring good luck to the Kunsthal Aarhus guests and passers-by through 2022.

Ditte Gantriis, Kjærlighed, 2021

While flags often signal nationalism or a particular policy and location, the artist Ditte Gantriis has chosen to detach her work from these immediate symbolic values through an unconventional format and motif: The flag is vertical, fringed and adorned by a single flower

While flags often signal nationalism or a particular policy and location, the artist Ditte Gantriis has chosen to detach her work from these immediate symbolic values through an unconventional format and motif: The flag is vertical, fringed and adorned by a single flower The innocent flower that waves in the wind is a response to the flag as a symbol of demarcation and nationalism. The art flag represents the child, nature and what is not defined by its limit.

Gantriis sees the art flag as a condensation of her exhibition contribution to the grand exhibition GO EXTREME. For the exhibition, Ditte Gantriis has also designed another flag that remixes Go Extremes own logo. However, this official GO EXTREME flag will first be shown at the opening of the exhibition.

Sophia Ioannou Gjerding, Rebreather: The wind as a drunk, 2020

The flag in Kunsthal Aarhus Skulpturpark, Rebreather: The wind as a drunk, was shaped like a windsock

The flag in Kunsthal Aarhus Skulpturpark, Rebreather: The wind as a drunk, was shaped like a windsock . A windsock is a cylinder of fabric used to show the direction and strength of the wind. Windsocks are typically installed in airports and at locations with a risk of gas-leeks. A windsock is divided into segments which are filled one by one with air depending on how windy it is.

The segments on Rebreather: The wind as a drunk were used as a sequenced frame that shows a determined movement: The wind takes the shape of a face blowing wind.

In more than one way, Gjerding’s work was an animation of nature. The real wind animated the work; it brought it to life and made it possible for the work to unfold as an animation of the wind itself. Rebreather: The wind as a drunk depicted nature as something which possess human traits – a drunkard who is blowing. As the wind blows stronger and stronger the drunkard spins more and more out of control.

Sophia Ioannou Gjerding (1989, DK) graduated from The Jutland Art Academy in Aarhus in 2018. She often works with video exploring the concept of animation. Animation has a long cultural and religious history. In mainstream culture animation is best known in relation to cartoons, while another example is the biblical tale of God disguising himself as a burning bush. With technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality the concept of animation might be more relevant than ever.

Material: Polyester

Henrik Plenge Jakobsen, Stripes and Stripes, 2019

In the flagpole at Kunsthal Aarhus flew a banner created by artist Henrik Plenge Jakobsen in 2019: Stripes and Stripes

In the flagpole at Kunsthal Aarhus flew a banner created by artist Henrik Plenge Jakobsen in 2019: Stripes and Stripes . The piece was sewn out of material taken from two Stars & Stripes flags, the official flag of the United States of America. Plenge Jakobsen raised the flag himself at a ceremony held in February 2019 in relation with the finissage of the exhibition Post Institutional Stress Disorder (PISD).

Plenge Jakobsen’s artistic practice revolves around a critique of the fundamental political, economic and social structures underpinning modern society. He often designs works for public spaces, letting them intervene in and interfere with their settings.

Plenge Jakobsen works with multiple media. In his installations, he often juxtaposes sculptural elements with performance, photography and murals.

Henrik Plenge Jakobsen (b. 1967, DK) is a graduate from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen.

Bodil Nielsen, Festlig teglrød, 2017

The colour festlig teglrød (festive brick-red) adorned the outer walls in the years 1954 – 1969

Donghee Koo, Good Luck, 2022

Ditte Gantriis, Kjærlighed, 2021

Sophia Ioannou Gjerding, Rebreather: The wind as a drunk, 2020

Henrik Plenge Jakobsen, Stripes and Stripes, 2019

Bodil Nielsen, Festlig teglrød, 2017

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