The World Around Us
A new exhibition at The Black Diamond takes us through the history of photography and a world in transformation. Turn your gaze outward and see the world around us from new angles.
What the critics say
We still need artistic interpretations to both capture and understand the power and grandeur of nature.
- Maria Kjær Themsen, Dagbladet Information
The collection exhibition is not merely aesthetic; it presents a selection of photographs that as a whole broaden our view of the world.
- Tove Thage, Magasinet Kunst
The World Around Us takes us on a journey through the last 200 years of photographic history and focuses on how we have depicted and understood countryside and city through photography – from the romantic landscape photography of the 19th century to the industrialisation's enthusiasm for cities and buildings to the climate challenges of today. The exhibition speaks to anyone who loves history, contemporary art, and nature.
A photograph is not just a picture of the world, it is a way of being in it. That is how it is for us, and that was how it was for photographers of the past.
- Senior researcher, Mette Kia Krabbe Meyer
Photographic highlights
The World Around Us presents a collection exhibition spanning more than 300 square metres, carefully curated by the National Photography Collection. Covering the period from the 1840s to 2023, it includes landscape photography, architectural photography, conceptual art, documentary photography, contemporary photography, and photography engaging with nature and the climate crisis.
Alongside some of the biggest names in photographic history, the exhibition also showcases recent acquisitions to Royal Danish Library’s collection, featuring renowned photographers such as Tine Bek, Nanna Debois Buhl, Inuuteq Storch, Pia Rönicke and Emil Ryge.
Curator and PhD Charlotte Præstegaard Schwartz says about the exhibition:
The National Photography Collection has been built up throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and through this collection Royal Danish Library helps shape the history of photography and art. The World Around Us allows visitors to engage deeply with selected photographs, revealing each work’s unique history and significance.
A look at the world
For more than 200 years, photographers have pointed their cameras at the world around us – and it is crazy to imagine a world without the medium that has become an extension of humanity. Images show a world that has changed radically, but also a medium that is in transformation. Photography is a rather special form of expression because it is owned by everyone and practiced by most people, regardless of ability. That is why the exhibition is also particularly relevant. It invites the viewer to look up and see through the eyes and lenses of others and perhaps discover new perspectives.
The exhibition is curated by Senior Researcher Mette Kia Krabbe Meyer and curator and PhD Charlotte Præstegaard Schwartz. In connection with the exhibition, an exhibition catalogue is published, which can be purchased in the shop. The catalogue is supported by the Handelsgartner Harry Opstrup's Foundation and the Ny Carlsberg Foundation.
Try our school programmes
For the exhibition, we have developed two different educational programmes in which pupils learn about historical photography, visual storytelling and much more. Read more about our educational profile and book your visit here:
