Press release: Copenhagen Photo Festival will make the city buzz with world-class star photographers and unrivalled audience events
PRESSEMEDDELELSE
Copenhagen Photo Festival will make the city buzz with world-class star photographers and unrivalled audience events
With its most comprehensive event programme ever, the focus of this year’s Copenhagen Photo Festival is to encourage community and the physical experience of photography. From 11 to 21 June, visitors can enjoy talks with Danish film director Christina Rosendahl and the musician Luna Ersahin, develop their own visual language in masterclasses with star photographers such as Roger Ballen and Carolyn Drake, and take part in countless social events and gallery crawls, all aimed at enhancing the experience of photography in good company – at this year’s 30+ exhibition venues.
In keeping with this year’s theme, Scenarios, the festival is inviting visitors to explore new possibilities and realities through photography. In the festival centre at the Royal Theatre and in galleries and museums in the different neighbourhoods of the city – not to mention jaunts to Malmö, Humlebæk, Elsinore and Lyngby – this year’s programme features some major exhibition experiences, including work by Roger Ballen, Carolyn Drake, Helge Skodvin (the Royal Theatre), Søren Solkær (Øksnehallen, Kvægtorvet), Cyprien Gaillard (Simian), Katharina Sieverding (Gammel Strand), Sophie Calle (Louisiana), Christina Capetillo (Fotografisk Center) and many, many others.
This year’s festival represents a unique opportunity for visitors to experience photography in new ways and in the company of other people.
The festival kicks off on 11 June with a Grand Opening at the Royal Theatre.
“We live in an age, in which images have become our main language. We are constantly scrolling, swiping and sharing visual content. And our understanding of the world is hugely shaped by images. On social media and in the news. Naturally, this year’s festival looks at that phenomenon. What we wanted was to enhance the experiences that connect us and to create a sense of community around photography. We look forward to learning more about the strengths and pitfalls of imagery together with visitors to the festival and this year’s exhibitors, and to challenging ourselves and each other through this year’s impressive audience programme,” says Maja Dyrehauge Gregersen, the festival director.
“Photography is an immensely powerful medium which, through our phones and television, has become radically democratised. However, the collective spaces where we pause and reflect on the medium are rather limited. That is why it is crucial for Copenhagen, as both a capital city and a cultural hub, to host events such as Copenhagen Photo Festival, which not only shine a spotlight on the medium itself, but also bring it into the city and into a variety of contexts. I hope this will influence the way we all engage with the medium, the city, and our wider surroundings,” says the City of Copenhagen’s Mayor of Culture and Leisure, Christopher Røhl (RV).
Below is a rundown of this year’s programme.
Photos: © Jytte Rex | @ Søren Solkær
Naked men, Swedish torpedoes, family secrets and women’s lives
On the opening night, 11 June, visitors are invited to an opening speech featuring this year’s headliner, the award-winning artist and Magnum photographer Carolyn Drake. She explores and challenges the way in which we view each other: in photos of naked men in her series Men Untitled; and in the staging of herself as the ideal woman in Glorify Yourself.
Nor should you miss out on the festival’s ‘FREMKALDT’ talks, in which Christina Rosendahl and Liv Helm will discuss dealing with taboos, trauma and family secrets. Jytte Rex and Luna Ersahin will talk about women’s lives and what it means to depart from society’s expectations across generations. Mads Nissen and Morten Pape will talk about conveying stories from the ghettos and gangster environments they have both intensively dealt with in their photography and writing.
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/samtaler-talks
Masterclasses og portfolio feedback from respected figures from Denmark and abroad
This year you can take part in workshops led by the festival’s headliners and get feedback on your photography from experts from the Danish and Nordic photography scene. On 12 and 13 June, in nine different masterclasses, the festival’s headliners will provide exclusive insights into processes and practices. On 11 June, there is a unique opportunity to receive professional feedback on your photography from curators, gallerists, artists and photojournalists from the Danish world of art and photography.
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/portfolio-reviews
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/masterclasses
World-class photography at the Royal Danish Theatre
For the second year in a row, the historic Balcony Foyer of the Royal Danish Theatre will form the setting for the festival’s main exhibitions, featuring international photography and camera-based art in a league of their own. This year’s headliner, the artist and Magnum photographer Carolyn Drake has been given an entire floor for her comprehensive exhibition Turning the Gaze. This year’s four solo artists – Roger Ballen, Maja Daniels, Rhiannon Adam and Helge Skodvin – are presenting projects never seen before in Denmark, all tackling important current topics: for example, the most profound and secret imaginings of the psyche, witch hunts from the past, all-consuming trips to the moon and the biodiversity crisis. Audiences can also see a digital screening of this year’s CPF Selectees and the audience exhibition Imagine…?www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/featured-artists
Photos: © Carolyn Drake | @ Roger Ballen
New Nordic voices occupy Refshaleøen
On Refshaleøen, close to Copehagen Contemporary and the popular Reffen Streetfood, the spotlight is on young talent, experimental art and interdisciplinary exchange. Each year, the festival selects a number of young artists, each of whom in their own way reflect the direction in which photography is going:
Futures Nordic Talents 2026. This year’s selected talents – Liv Latricia Habel (DK), Mari Mäntynen (FI), Loulou Buxbom (DK), María Kristín Antonsdóttir (ISL) – explore and reflect on origin and identity in works that are both thought-provoking and humorous.
The programme VÆKST Creatives challenges and engages with the framework of photography. This year audiences can enjoy performance, dance, workshops and audiowalks with the six selected VÆKST Creatives: Alice Presence, Asta Oskarsdottír, Joachim Fleinert, Photofuss & Young Visual Art, Fredrik Fabó and Thomas Seest & Tora Balslev.
Meanwhile, the three Nordic photography schools – DMJX, Oslo Fotokunstskole and Fatamorgana – are presenting exhibitions featuring students’ work in the FRAME building and the exhibition park at Beddingen.
Admission is free to the entire VÆKST area.
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/vaekst-refshaleoen-26
Photos: @ Joachim Fleinert – VÆKST Creatives 2026 / © Mari Mäntynen FUTURES Nordic Talents 2026
Explore more than 30 galleries and exhibition venues
In addition to the festival area at the Royal Theatre and VÆKST on Refshaleøen, this year’s festival programme includes more than 30 galleries and exhibition venues in Copenhagen and Malmö – from Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, the Royal Danish Library and Malmö Konsthall to Det Grønlandske Hus, Fotografisk Center, Davis Gallery, Gammel Strand, the Museum of Copenhagen, to name but a few.
See the complete list of galleries and exhibition venues at the bottom of the press release and here: https://copenhagenphotofestival.com/cpf-x-venues-2026/
Attend creative workshops and exhibition openings and join Gallery Crawls
The festival features a myriad of experiences and exhibition openings where the audience can meet artists, industry professionals and new voices. They can also get involved and learn about photography in a number of creative workshops covering analog photography, collages or polaroid transfer processes. Or join this year’s Gallery Crawls and visit not only the neighbourhoods of Copenhagen, but also Moderna Museet Malmö, Galleri Format and Malmö Konsthall in Malmö. This year there are both walking and cycling tours.
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/workshops
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/social-events
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/news-gallery-crawls-2026
Mads Nissen, Luna Ersahin og Morten Pape are part of the talk programme. @ Mishael Fabohunda | © Mads Nissen | @ Morten Pape
All partner venues this year:
AFTRYK · BANJA RATHNOV KUNSTHANDEL & GALLERI · BASEMENT · CHRISTIANSHAVNS BEBOERHUS · DARK GALLERY · DAVIS GALLERY · DET GRØNLANDSKE HUS · DET KONGELIGE BIBLIOTEK · EX NIHILO · FOTOGRAFISK CENTER · GALLERI FORMAT · GALLERI KREBSEN · GAMMEL STRAND · KBH FILM&FOTOSKOLE · KVÆGTORVET (ØKSNEHALLEN) · KØBENHAVNS MUSEUM · LOKALE KIOSK · LOUISIANA MUSEUM OF MODERN ART· M/S MUSEET FOR SØFART · MALMÖ KONSTHALL · MAXUS101 · MODERNA MUSEET MALMÖ · NIELS BOHR INSTITUTET · NORDATLANTENS BRYGGE · ODP3 | OVENPÅ · PROSPEKT · SIMIAN · SOPHIENHOLM · STRANDGADE 6 · WONDERLAND ART SPACE · VERA SKOLE FOR KUNST & DESIGN·
Get discount at Donkey Republic and Kamerahuset
A festival ticket not only includes admission to the exhibitions at the Royal Danish Theatre, but also gives you 20% discount when you rent a bike from Donkey Republic. If you book a ticket for a masterclass, you also get benefits at Kamerahuset, Denmark’s leading camera-equipment retailer.
Partnerships across art and culture
This year’s festival would not have been possible without the support of a huge range of partners and cultural actors from Denmark and abroad. They include: the City of Copenhagen, the Obel Family Foundation, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond Augustinus Fonden, Futures, Creative Europe Programme of the European Union and Knud Højgaards Fond.
About Copenhagen Photo Festival
Copenhagen Photo Festival takes place in Copenhagen from 11-21 June 2026.
Under the theme Scenarios, Copenhagen Photo Festival explores our ability to create worlds and new realities through images and storytelling, and how our imagination and empathy are challenged in an image-driven age where fiction and fact intertwine more than ever before – and where dystopia and utopia often go hand in hand.
Tickets for the festival and individual events can be purchased via the website.
More information and full programme: www.copenhagenphotofestival.com
Contact information
Press contact
Christina Holm Hansen
christina@gatheragency.dk
+45 2932 9867
Head of Communication
Christine Almlund
christine@copenhagenphotofestival.com
Press photos: Artist Highlights 🔗
Header: © Christina Rosendahl
Pressemeddelelse: Stjernefotografer i verdensklasse og enestående publikumsoplevelser indtager byen under Copenhagen Photo Festival
PRESSEMEDDELELSE
Stjernefotografer i verdensklasse og enestående publikumsoplevelser indtager byen under Copenhagen Photo Festival
Copenhagen Photo Festival sætter fællesskab og den fysiske oplevelse af fotografi i centrum med det mest omfattende eventprogram nogensinde. Den 11.-21. juni kan publikum opleve talks med Christina Rosendahl og musiker Luna Ersahin, udvikle deres eget visuelle sprog på masterclasses med stjernefotografer som Roger Ballen samt deltage i stribevis af sociale events og gallery crawls, der styrker oplevelsen af fotografi i godt selskab til årets mere end 30 udstillingssteder.
I tråd med årets tema ‘Forestillinger | Scenarios’ inviterer festivalen publikum til at gå på opdagelse og afsøge nye muligheder og virkeligheder gennem fotografiet.
Fra festivalens centrum på Det Kongelige Teater til gallerier og museer i byens brokvarterer – og med afstikkere til Malmö, Humlebæk, Helsingør og Lyngby – byder årets program på store udstillingsoplevelser med Roger Ballen, Carolyn Drake, Helge Skodvin (Det Kongelige Teater), Søren Solkær (Øksnehallen, Kvægtorvet), Cyprien Gaillard (Simian), Katharina Sieverding (Gammel Strand), Sophie Calle (Louisiana), Christina Capetillo (Fotografisk Center) og mange, mange andre.
Årets festival rummer enestående muligheder for at opleve fotografi på nye måder og sammen med andre.
Festivalen skydes i gang 11. juni på Det Kongelige Teater med en Grand Opening fra kl.16.
“Vi lever i en tid, hvor billeder er blevet vores primære sprog. Vi scroller, swiper og deler visuelt indhold konstant. Og vores forståelse af verden formes i høj grad gennem billeder. På sociale medier og i nyhederne. Det har vi selvfølgelig fokus på til årets festival. Vi har ønsket at styrke de oplevelser, der forbinder os og skaber fællesskab omkring fotografi. Vi glæder os til at blive klogere på billedsprogets styrker og faldgruber sammen med publikum og årets udstillere og til at udfordre os selv og hinanden gennem årets stærke publikumsprogram, der kun kan opleves under festivalen,” siger festivaldirektør Maja Dyrehauge Gregersen.
“Fotografiet er et enormt stærkt medie, som med vores telefoner og TV er blevet voldsomt demokratiseret. De kollektive rum, hvor vi stopper op og reflekterer over mediet, er imidlertid ret begrænset. Derfor er det afgørende for København som hovedstad og kulturby, at vi har arrangementer som Copenhagen Photo Festival, der ikke bare sætter fokus på mediet, men også får det frem i hele byen og i forskellige kontekster. Jeg håber det vil sætte sig i vores alle sammens omgang med mediet, byen og øvrige omgivelser,” siger kultur-, fritids- og borgerserviceborgmester i Københavns Kommune, Christopher Røhl (RV).
Få overblik over årets program nedenfor.
Fotos: © Jytte Rex | @ Søren Solkær
Nøgne mænd, svenske torpedoer, familiehemmeligheder og kvindeliv
På åbningsaftenen den 11. juni inviteres publikum til åbningstalk med årets hovednavn, den prisvindende kunstner og Magnum-fotograf Carolyn Drake, der udforsker og udfordrer vores blik på hinanden gennem fotos af nøgne mænd i serien Men Untitled og iscenesættelser af sig selv som idealkvinde i serien Glorify Yourself.
Gå heller ikke glip af festivalens FREMKALDT-talks hvor Christina Rosendahl og Liv Helm er i samtale om opgør med tabuer, traumer og familiehemmeligheder; Jytte Rex og Luna Ersahin mødes til en snak om kvindeliv og hvad det vil sige at bryde med samfundets forventninger på tværs af generationer; og Mads Nissen og Morten Pape taler om at formidle menneskelige fortællinger fra de ghettoer og gangstermiljøer, de begge har beskæftiget sig indgående med – Nissen blandt andet i serien Alle vi børn i Gangsterby og Pape i Planen o.a.
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/samtaler-talks
Masterclasses og portfolio-feedback med profiler fra ind- og udland
Man kan i år deltage i både masterclasses med årets hovednavne samt få feedback på sit fotografiske arbejde fra aktører fra den danske og nordiske fotoscene. Festivalens hovednavne giver eksklusive insights til processer og praksis i ni forskellige masterclasses den 12. og 13. juni. Den 11. juni er der unik mulighed for at få professionel feedback på sit fotoarbejde fra kuratorer, gallerister, kunstnere og fotojournalister fra den danske kunst- og fotoscene.
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/portfolio-reviews
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/masterclasses
Fotografi i verdensklasse på Det Kongelige Teater
Det Kongelige Teaters historiske Balkonfoyer danner for andet år rammen om festivalens hovedudstillinger, hvor man kan opleve fotografi og kamerabaseret kunst i international særklasse. Årets hovednavn, kunstner og Magnum-fotograf Carolyn Drake, fylder en hel etage i foyeren med sin omfattende udstilling A Good Dress, og årets fire solokunstnere Roger Ballen, Maja Daniels, Rhiannon Adam og Helge Skodvin udstiller alle projekter, der ikke før har været vist i Danmark, og som går i klinch med vigtige aktuelle emner som psykens dybeste og hemmeligste forestillinger, historiske heksejagter, altopslugende månerejser og biodiversitetskrise. Desuden kan publikum opleve en digitale screenings årets udvalgte CPF Selectees og publikumsudstillingen ‘Forestil dig …?’.
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/featured-artists
Fotos: © Carolyn Drake | @ Roger Ballen
Nye nordiske stemmer indtager Refshaleøen
På Refshaleøen ligger festivalens venue og udstillingspark VÆKST på B&W’s gamle Bedding. Her er der særligt fokus på unge talenter, eksperimenterende kunst og tværfaglig udveksling. Hvert år udvælger festivalen en række unge kunstnere, som på hver sin måde afspejler hvor fotografiet er på vej hen:
Futures Nordic Talents 2026. Dette års udvalgte talenter – Liv Latricia Habel (DK), Mari Mäntynen (FI), Loulou Buxbom (DK), María Kristín Antonsdóttir (ISL) – udforsker og reflekterer over ophav og identitet, og det er både tankevækkende og humoristisk.
VÆKST Creatives er et program, der udfordrer og går i dialog med fotografiets rammer. I år kan publikum derfor opleve både performance, dans, workshops og audiowalks med de seks udvalgte VÆKST Creatives: Alice Presence, Asta Oskarsdottír, Joachim Fleinert, Photofuss & Young Visual Art, Fredrik Fabó og Thomas Seest & Tora Balslev
Desuden kan publikum opleve nye fotografiske stemmer når de tre nordiske fotoskoler DMJX, Oslo Fotokunstskole og Fatamorgana viser udstillinger med de studerende i bygningen FRAME og i udstillingsparken på Beddingen.
Der er gratis entré til hele VÆKST-området.
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/vaekst-refshaleoen-26
Fotos: @ Joachim Fleinert – VÆKST Creatives 2026 / © Mari Mäntynen FUTURES Nordic Talents 2026
Udforsk mere end 30 gallerier og udstillingssteder
Årets festivalprogram omfatter foruden festivalområdet på Det Kongelige Teater og VÆKST på Refshaleøen også mere end 30 gallerier og udstillingssteder i København og Malmø – fra Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Det Kongelige Bibliotek og Malmö Konsthall til Det Grønlandske Hus, Fotografisk Center, Davis Gallery, Gammel Strand, Københavns Museum og mange andre.
Se samlet liste over gallerier og udstillingssteder nederst i pressemeddelelsen og her: https://copenhagenphotofestival.com/cpf-x-venues-2026
Tag med til kreative workshops, udstillingsåbninger og Gallery Crawls
Festivalen byder på et væld af oplevelser og udstillingsåbninger, hvor publikum kan møde kunstnere, branchefolk og nye stemmer. De kan også involvere sig og bliver klogere på fotografiet gennem kreative workshops i analogt fotografi, collager eller polaroid transfer-processer. Eller hoppe på en Gallery Crawl, der i år går til alle byens kvarterer og til Malmö, hvor Moderna Museet Malmö, Galleri Format og Malmö Konsthall åbner dørene. I år er der både ture til fods og til cykel.
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/workshops
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/social-events
www.copenhagenphotofestival.com/news-gallery-crawls-2026
Mads Nissen, Luna Ersahin og Morten Pape er en del af årets talk-program. @ Mishael Fabohunda | © Mads Nissen
Her er alle årets partner-venues
AFTRYK · BANJA RATHNOV KUNSTHANDEL & GALLERI · BASEMENT · CHRISTIANSHAVNS BEBOERHUS · DARK GALLERY · DAVIS GALLERY · DET GRØNLANDSKE HUS · DET KONGELIGE BIBLIOTEK · EX NIHILO · FOTOGRAFISK CENTER · GALLERI FORMAT · GALLERI KREBSEN · GAMMEL STRAND · KBH FILM&FOTOSKOLE · KVÆGTORVET (ØKSNEHALLEN) · KØBENHAVNS MUSEUM · LOKALE KIOSK · LOUISIANA MUSEUM OF MODERN ART· M/S MUSEET FOR SØFART · MALMÖ KONSTHALL · MAXUS101 · MODERNA MUSEET MALMÖ · NIELS BOHR INSTITUTET · NORDATLANTENS BRYGGE · ODP3 | OVENPÅ · PROSPEKT · SIMIAN · SOPHIENHOLM · STRANDGADE 6 · WONDERLAND ART SPACE · VERA SKOLE FOR KUNST & DESIGN·
Få rabat til Kamerahuset og Donkey Republic
Ved køb af festivalbillet får man ud over adgang til udstillingerne på Det Kongelige Teater også adgang til markante fordele hos Kamerahuset, der er førende inden for salg af kameraudstyr. Billetten giver desuden 20% rabat på cykelleje hos Donkey Republic – en stor fordel for dem, som rejser til for at opleve udstillingerne i hele byen.
Partnerskaber på tværs af kunst- og kulturlivet
Årets festival realiseres med støtte fra en lang række danske og internationale partnere og kulturaktører – bl.a. Københavns Kommune, Det Obelske Familiefond, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond, Augustinus Fonden, Futures, Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, Knud Højgaards Fond.
Om Copenhagen Photo Festival
Copenhagen Photo Festival afholdes i København den 11.-21. juni 2026.
Under temaet Forestillinger / Scenarios undersøger Copenhagen Photo Festival vores evner til at skabe verdener og nye virkeligheder gennem billeder og fortællinger, og hvordan vores forestillingsevne og empati sættes på spil i en billedbåret tid, hvor fiktion og fakta griber ind i hinanden som aldrig før. Og hvor dystopi og utopi ofte går hånd i hånd.
Billetter til festivalen samt specifikke events kan købes via hjemmesiden.
Mere information og fuldt program: www.copenhagenphotofestival.com
Kontaktinformation
Pressekontakt
Christina Holm Hansen
christina@gatheragency.dk
+45 2932 9867
Kommunikationschef
Christine Almlund
christine@copenhagenphotofestival.com
Pressefotos til årets hovednavne findes her 🔗
Header: © Christina Rosendahl
FUTURES Nordic Talents of 2026
Get to know the FUTURES Nordic Talents of 2026
Copenhagen Photo Festival is excited to introduce this year’s FUTURES Nordic Talents. Four young artists with distinct and unique approaches to photography. Their work spans across fine art and documentary photography, representing a new generation within the Nordic region.
Every year through our open call the festival’s programme committee selects young artists, who reflect the diversity of photography in their own personal way. As part of the FUTURES Photography platform, these artists will gain access to professional development opportunities, networking, and mentorship within an international photography community. Their project will be exhibited as part of this year’s festival at our venue in Rafshaleøen.
This year’s Talents
For 2026, the CPF programme committee has selected four artists, two from Denmark, one from Finland, and one from Iceland, for their strong and individual works.
Photos: © Liv Latricia Habel
Liv Latricia Habel (DK) – Belonging
In 2017, Liv Latricia Habel met her family in Philadelphia, USA, for the first time. By combining archival family photographs from her African American heritage with still and moving images from her life in Denmark and Germany, she explores the gap between her sense of self and her cultural and biological roots.
Read more
Mari Mäntynen (FI) – Stranger
By participating in her own images with strangers on a first encounter with them, Mäntynen urges us to question the unspoken rules and preconceptions around meeting people, and the effects these have on our interactions with one another. The images are a collaboration between artist and subject, inviting conversations with her subjects and her viewers on how we can challenge social norms and alter our reality.
Read more
Photos: © Mari Mäntynen
Photos: © Loulou Buxbom
Loulou Buxbom (DK) – Too stupid to die on a Wednesday
An ongoing, intimate portrait of Buxbom’s mother and her three siblings in Denmark and Cuba, exploring their differences in adult life and the inherited characteristics and generational influences which unite them. Her investigation takes form in two honest, raw documentary films depicting family dynamics and personal insights into the daily struggles of her relatives, with a third installment in the works.
Read more
María Kristín Antonsdóttir (ISL) – Family Album
Through collaging and manipulating family photographs and home videos, Antonsdóttir explores themes of attachment and origins. Family Album is a deeply personal, process-driven project that looks at how images shape our understanding of who we are and where we come from. Through this process, she both holds on to and challenges these narratives, revealing how we actively construct and reshape our own realities. Read more
Photos: © María Kristín Antonsdóttir
Congratulations to this year’s FUTURES Nordic Talents!
We’re excited to present their work at Copenhagen Photo Festival 2026 and to follow their future paths.
Header photos: © María Kristín Antonsdóttir
Highlight 2026: Carolyn Drake
Highlight Announcement 2026: Carolyn Drake
It is with great excitement that Copenhagen Photo Festival announces acclaimed American artist and Magnum photographer Carolyn Drake as the exhibition highlight at the Royal Danish Theater in the centre of Copenhagen from 11 to 17 June 2026. It will be the first time that a Nordic audience can experience the award-winning artist with an extensive solo exhibition.
Older men lay nude on sofas posed like the sex workers photographed by EJ Bellocq, women in a rural Mississippi town disguise themselves mischievously behind flower arrangements and death masks, the artist herself is seen enacting absurd interpretations of a beauty and charm guide for women in the 1940’s. The photographic work of artist Carolyn Drake playfully brings forward important discussions around gender, culture, and identity, bringing new color to the grey zone between documentary and conceptual photography. Her work is ignited by wonder with tints of anger and empathy.
Playing with gender rules and identity standards
Carolyn Drake endeavors to understand the inner workings and ‘rules’ of gender and cultural identity, enriches us with new perspectives on these deeply embedded patterns, and leaves us speculating about their influence on culture and identity. The result is often surprising, intriguing and with stints of humorous self-reflection.
The work of Carolyn Drake perfectly intersect with this year’s theme ‘Forestillinger | Scenarios’. With images that twist and spin preconceived notions about gender in our society and culture on the head – from the historical concepts of femininity in the 1940s to confronting us with reframings of male nudity – she evokes a new sense of sensitivity to established cultural frameworks. We look forward to presenting Drake’s performative works with The Royal Danish Theatre’s foyer as the perfect playful backdrop. – CPF Managing Director Maja Dyrehauge Gregersen.
The exhibition at the Royal Danish Theatre in June will feature works from Drake’s most recent and prize winning oeuvre based on collaborative practices and self portraiture, specifically her projects Knit Club (2012-2020), Men Untitled (2020-2023) and Glorify Yourself (2020-2023).
Subverting power dynamics through collaboration and role reversals
In her early career, Drake often worked with communities and people on the margins of power, including Uyghurs in western China and young women sequestered in an ex-Soviet orphanage. Over time, her photographic projects have paid increasing attention to the power dynamics inherent in human relationships, including those formed through documentary practices. She draws attention to and tries to subvert these dynamics through collaboration, performance, role reversals, and creative play.
Award winning Magnum photographer
Carolyn Drake has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work. Since 2019 she has been part of the renowned photographic community, Magnum Photos. She is a Guggenheim Fellow, was awarded with a Fulbright Fellowship in connection with her work in Ukraine and winner of The Lange Taylor Prize. She had major solo exhibitions at the Henri Cartier Bresson Foundation in Paris, SFMOMA in San Francisco and at Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York, who also represents her. ‘Knit Club’ was Paris Photo Aperture Book of the Year finalist in 2020. She has a degree in media culture and history from Brown University.
Knit Club (2012-2020)
Knit Club’ is a collaborative project that imaginatively explores the lives of a group of women living in Mississippi who are united by manual work, motherhood, and friendship. The project portrays a lively yet not fully knowable community that manages to exist beyond the gaze or control of men.
Glorify Yourself (2020-)
With this project Drake looks at her own relationship to misogyny. By using a beauty and charm guide that proliferated widely in the US during the 1940s and 50s, she interferes with gender-codes by employing humor, conflating past and present, and distorting scale.
Men Untitled (2020-2023)
In this project Drake places men in front of the camera, vulnerable and naked. She faces the strangely ‘dangerous’ act of looking at men, observing how the male body is not a subject that dominant western culture has encouraged its audiences to scrutinize the way it does women’s bodies.
Header photo: Knit Club, 2012-2020 © Carolyn Drake
Kontakt I Contact
General · talkto @ copenhagenphotofestival.com
Press · press @ copenhagenphotofestival.com