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.
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 land 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 those who love history, to those who love contemporary art and to those who love 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
Photohistorical stars
The World Around Us presents a more than 300 square meter collection exhibition, carefully curated by the National Collection of Photography. It covers the period from the 1840s to 2023 and includes landscape photography, architectural photography, conceptual art, documentary photography, contemporary photography and photography as part of the nature and climate movement.
In addition to showing some of the biggest names in the history of photography, the exhibition also opens up new acquisitions in Royal Danish Library's collection with renowned photographers such as Tine Bek, Nanna Debois Buhl, Inuuteq Storch, Pia Rönicke and Emil Ryge.
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 Handelsgartner Harry Opstrup's Foundation and the Ny Carlsberg Foundation.
