50 Queens Installation

Giulia Frittoli

• Architects

Golden Days celebrates the heroines of history with 50 pedestals on 'Dronningens Nytorv'

From 2–18 September, Golden Days Festival, the design studio BIG and Kunsthal Charlottenborg will present a large-scale, temporary exhibition during this year's festival. 50 pedestals are exhibited in honour of 50 significant female figures from Danish history. The exhibition takes place at Kongens Nytorv, which during the exhibition period will be renamed 'Dronningens Nytorv'. It is expected that up to 100,000 will experience the exhibition, after which some pedestals travel to selected places in the country.

They pose in the squares. Towering in the parks. And thrones in front of theaters, museums and universities. The male statues. But why are women conspicuous by their absence from the cityscape? Golden Days, in collaboration with BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and Kunsthal Charlottenborg, will now do something about this.

photo_credit Laurent de Carniere — Laurent de Carniere

When Golden Days invites you to a festival in September, it is with the ambition to write the women further forward in history and make them visible in the Copenhagen urban space. Under the festival title QUEENS, Golden Days presents an extensive program of more than 200 events. The festival uses the royal 50th anniversary as a welcome opportunity to shine the spotlight on the queens of history – both those with and without a crown on.

The exhibition will be home at Kongens Nytorv, which will be renamed 'Dronningens Nytorv' on the occasion of the festival. Here you will pay tribute to 50 of the heroines of history by putting them on pedestals – literally. The exhibition has been developed and curated in collaboration with the design studio BIG and Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Accenture Song and Meta are also key communication partners.

Ritt Bjerregaard at the head of the jury
The exhibition is designed by BIG and centers on 50 named women from Danish history, each of whom is awarded a pedestal. Or, more precisely, 49. One pedestal is left anonymous to ask the question: Who have we forgotten? As an invitation to the audience to contribute their take on who we should pay tribute to with a statue. Because, of course, there are more than 49 women who deserve that honor.

For the selection of the 49 women, a professional jury has been set up, consisting of chairperson and politician Ritt Bjerregaard, director of KVINFO Henriette Laursen, director of the National Gallery of Denmark Mikkel Bogh, visual artist Jeannette Ehlers, professor of the history of ideas Mikkel Thorup, senior researcher at the National Museum Lisbeth Imer, director of KØN Julie Rokkjær Birch Phd. Karen Asta Arnfred Vallgårda and Professor Ditlev Tamm.

Chairperson of the jury, Ritt Bjerregaard, sees the exhibition as a good opportunity to take the conversation about representation a step further:

"In my time, there has been progress for women. For example, we have had two female prime ministers. There is still a need for more female role models, and I have wondered why there are more statues of animals than of named women. With this exhibition, we will try to set the direction for the conversation about who we celebrate, honor and remember. It provides an opportunity to open the eyes of some of the women who have made history and who deserve to be honoured – even with a statue."

Women on pedestals and representation on the agenda
With the exhibition, Golden Days provides an action-based and curious contribution to the debate about representation. The festival wants to broaden the conversation between citizens, politicians and institutions and ask: Who have we overlooked in our storytelling? And who actually deserves to be put on a pedestal? Festival director Svante Lindeburg elaborates:

"The festival contributes to a conversation that is already underway – and fortunately for that. In recent years, we have talked a lot about the noisy absence of women in history and in urban spaces. The exhibition is an attempt to do something about it and 'walk the talk'. Together with the jury and the project partners, we want to pay tribute to the women of history. But we also hope to create a platform and a change of consciousness, which leads to more statues of named women being erected on the back of the festival. We do it to give women their rightful place in history – side by side with men – and to learn new nuances of our common past."

Partner in BIG, Giulia Frittoli, says about the project: "Our exhibition helps to tell the untold stories of women who have contributed to Danish history, but have not been recognized for it. With an increased focus on social justice and equality, we are immensely proud and honored to contribute to this important conversation and give a voice to those who have not been heard. With 50 Queens, I hope we can help raise awareness of diversity in our public spaces so we can help improve cities today and create even better cities tomorrow."

About the exhibition
'50 QUEENS' can be experienced throughout Golden Days and is designed by BIG, curated in collaboration with Kunsthal Charlottenborg and developed in a partnership with Meta and Accenture Song.

It is expected that up to 100,000 Danes and tourists will experience the pedestals. In addition, it is hoped to let the exhibition concept travel on to other big cities such as New York, Berlin, Stockholm or London. The list of the 50 selected historical women will be published during early summer. The exhibition is supported by the Capital Region of Denmark, the City of Copenhagen, the A.P. Møller Foundation, the C.E. Jensen Foundation and UPM Plywood.

The jury of the exhibition
Ritt Bjerregaard, politician – chairwoman of the jury Henriette Laursen, Director of KVINFO

Jeanette Ehlers, visual artistMikkel Thorup, professor of the history of ideas Karen Asta Arnfred Vallgårda, PhD in history

Julie Rokkjær Birch, director of KØNMikkel Bogh, director of the National Gallery of DenmarkLisbeth Imer, senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark Ditlev Tamm, Professor