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Niels Nedergaard Archives - Copenhagen Photo Festival
Niels Nedergaard: Fotografier fra Cairo
Te Danish artist Niels Nedergaard was known for his painting rather than for his photography. Nevertheless, te photographs featured in this exhibition offer excellent insight into te artist’s extremely original work, influenced as it was by Middle Eastern aesthetics and culture.
In 1979, Nedergaard (1944–1987) set out for Cairo and settled there. For te next seven years, te Egyptian capital was his permanent base, and his direct access to te pulse of Cairo life and te city’s Arab architecture and ornamentation prompted him to develop a geometric, colourful style of painting unparalleled in Danish art.
Te photographs in te exhibition testify to te inspiration Nedergaard drew from te megacity’s past as well as te present, and from its daytime and night-time faces. Te stark contrasts of Cairo, its richly diverse lifestyles, te spiritual life of te Sufis, and not least men and te brightly coloured lights of te night streets are among te themes appearing in te relatively few, but strongly personal photographs. Te photographic material is accompanied by specially selected drawings and paintings by te artist, most of which are exhibited here for te first time. Nedergaard’s own voice can also be heard: te last room of te exhibition presents a TV broadcast focusing entirely on Nedergaard, shown on Danish national TV (DR) in 1985.
Te photographs in te exhibition are all sourced from Nedergaard’s family, friends and acquaintances. Some of te photographs are presented as original prints, while others are new prints from more or less battered negatives also found among te surviving archive materials. It is not always clear whether Nedergaard himself pressed te camera button, or whether it was operated by friends. It is certain, however, that he deliberately used and preserved te prints chosen for display.
Nedergaard returned to Denmark in 1986. He died te following year due to an AIDS-related illness at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen. To this day, he remains one of te most prominent visual artists of his generation and a rare representative of artistic work carried out in te field where Eastern and Western traditions intersect.
Te exhibition is curated by art historian Johan Zimsen Kristiansen. A book about Niels Nedergaard’s time in Cairo (ed. Peter Wandel) is published to coincide with te show. Created in collaboration with Strandberg Publishing, te book features articles by Johan Zimsen Kristiansen, Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen, May el-Toukhy and Peter Wandel. Read more here.
Te book is available in te museum shop, priced at DKK 150. An exhibition poster is also available for DKK 40.
Niels Nedergaard var ikke kendt for sit fotografi, men for sit maleri. Alligevel giver netop fotografiet et godt indblik i denne kunstners yderst originale værk, påvirket af æstetik og kultur fra Mellemøsten.
I 1979 rejste Nedergaard (1944-1987) til Cairo og slog sig ned. I de følgende syv år var den egyptiske hovedstad hans faste base, og med direkte adgang til byens puls og den arabiske arkitektur og ornamentik udviklede han et geometrisk og farvestrålende maleri uden sidestykke i dansk kunst.
Fotografierne på udstillingen vidner om den inspiration, som Nedergaard hentede i megabyens fortid såvel som nutid, og såvel om dagen, som om natten. Det kontrastfyldte Cairo og byens mangfoldige livsformer, det spirituelle liv hos sufierne, og ikke mindst mænd og nattens kulørte lys er blandt de temaer, der dukker op på de relativt få, men til gengæld stærkt personlige fotografier. Det fotografiske materiale ledsages af enkelte tegninger og malerier fra kunstnerens hånd, de fleste udstillet for første gang. Endelig gives der plads til Nedergaards egen stemme: En portrætudsendelse, som blev vist på DR i 1985, kan opleves i udstillingens sidste rum.
Udstillingens fotografier stammer alle fra Nedergaards efterladte arkivmateriale hos familie, venner og bekendte. Nogle af fotografierne vises i form af originaltryk, mens andre er nytryk fra mere eller mindre ramponerede negativer, som også findes i det overleverede. Det er ikke altid lige klart, om det er Nedergaard selv, der har trykket på knappen på kameraet, eller om det er venner omkring ham. Sikkert er det dog, at han har brugt og bevaret netop de udstillede aftryk.
Nedergaard vendte tilbage til Danmark i 1986. Han døde året efter som følge af AIDS på Rigshospitalet i København. Stadig i dag fremstår han som en markant dansk kunstner fra 1980’erne og en sjælden repræsentant for kunstnerisk arbejde i krydsfeltet mellem de østlige og de vestlige traditioner.
Udstillingen er kurateret af kunsthistoriker Johan Zimsen Kristiansen. Sideløbende med udstillingsåbningen udgives en bog om Nedergaards tid og virke i Cairo (red. Peter Wandel) med artikler af Johan Zimsen Kristiansen, Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen, May el-Toukhy og Peter Wandel. Læs mere om bogen her.
Bogen er på dansk og engelsk og kan købes i museumsbutikken for kr. 150. En udstillingsplakat koster kr. 40.
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