Shame

The exhibition Shame is the first in a trilogy in which the two following are given the titles Hiding & Pretending, and Golden shame.

The trilogy is inspired by the French philosopher and sociologist Edgar Morin and his thoughts about the concepts of shame, guilt and anxiety, where shame is associated with the tribal society, guilt the industrial society and anxiety the mass culture.

Besides the inspiration from Edgar Morin the first exhibition Shame is founded on a long, intense collaboration between Aksel Sandemose´s novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks and Susanne Hangaard. The result of this was first shown in 2013 in Nykøbing Mors, which simultaneously is the scene of the action in A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks and Hangaards own hometown.

Aksel Sandemose created The Law of Jante in the novel A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks. Susanne Hangaard has delved intensively into the law, and she has come forward to that The Law of Jante can be reduced to one word: SHAME. Either the shame you get from others, the shame you give others, or the shame they expose themselves to. For this reason, The Law of Jante became the starting point for the exhibition. With the following two parts of the trilogy Hangaard will step further into the novel's universe to study phenomena that are proportionate to or extension of the shame.

Three of the works in the exhibition Shame carries the titles Relic I, II, III. These works are created with inspiration from the story that became the key to the novel. The novel's protagonist Esben tells of a Christmas gift, 10 kr., Esben's father received from his employer, the foundry owner. Esben's mother spent only 8 out of 10 kroner to show moderation. She took her finest clothes and went to the foundry owner to thank for the money, which was used on stoneware from your local hardware store. As Christmas and New Year was over, the foundry owner changed his mind about the gift to Esben´s family. Esben´s father was hereafter pulled 1 kr. in salary each month until the 8 kroner was recovered. Esben tells how he often saw his mother sitting with a small ceramic dish in her hands. The dish, as part of the gift from the foundry owner, became a relic of what the peasants had to accept from those who had money and power in society.

Relic I, II and III consist of shame balls arranged on dishes coated with gold leaf. The shame ball, which is a new object, is intended as a physical manifestation of shame. The object is produced in the glazed stoneware and is available in various sizes and shapes. The ceramic shame balls are also included in the exhibition's two videos Trinity and Esben and the twin.

Shame also contains an installation Together we are more built of the costumes that are being used in the video Trinity.

Kristoffer Jul-Larsen (NO) has written an essay about the exhibition. It can be found HERE.

The video Lovmæssig trefoldighed was made in collaboration with art director Sofie Fruergaard, cinematographer Signe Tora Munk Bencke, B-photographer Anne Skamris, stage electrician David Medina, recordists Jonas Kirkegaard og Jakob Garfield-Havsteen, dancers Sofie Fruergaard, Sandra Liaklev Andersen og Marlene Bonnesen and Kong Gulerod Film

The video Esben and the twin was made in collaboration with art director Sofie Fruergaard, cinematographer Signe Tora Munk Bencke, recordist Jakob Garfield-Havsteen, the twins Konrad og Bertram and Kong Gulerod Film.

Photographer: Dorte Krogh