From the Ground Up
If you stop and listen the past will speak to you, and the voices of the past will help you make sense of your life in the present.
Galleri Image (Aarhus, Denmark) presents the group exhibition From the Ground Up, curated by IKT Member Peggy Sue Amison. The exhibition opens on Friday 22 August 2025 at 4-6 p.m. The exhibition consists of works by Laeila Adjovi (Benin/ France), Aideen Barry (Ireland), Adrian Burrell (United States), Rehab Eldalil (Egypt), Tobi Onabolu (UK/Nigeria) and Tshepiso Moropa (South Africa)
The connection between nature and culture manifest in a multitude of ways, spanning values, beliefs, and behaviours. The impact of this connection on society, extends to the ways knowledge is processed and language is used. The direct connection between cultural systems and our environment means if one shifts or changes, the other responds accordingly. For ancient civilisations, it was believed there was no separation between nature and culture, whereas today, we often view them as separate or even opposites.
In From the Ground Up, a group of artists explore how cultures are directly connected to nature and knowledge. The works consider how the loss of ancient wisdom responds to changing biodiversity, recognising the growing need to connect with past histories in order to explain present challenges in day-to-day life. Creating a deeper connection to the natural world is an essential element for a sense of belonging and groundedness.
Through photography, video, and performance, artists from vastly different cultural perspectives will investigate intricate relationships between society and nature, exploring how these nuanced connections contribute to the shaping of biodiversity and also effect other aspects of civilisation in the form of artistic expression, cultural evolution, social justice and the survival of fragile ecosystems.
In connection with the exhibition, Galleri Image will present a seminar on 27 September 2025.
The exhibition is supported by the New Carlsberg Foundation, the city of Aarhus (Kulturudviklingspuljen), the Danish Arts Foundation, the Obel Family Foundation, the Louis-Hansen Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation and Culture Ireland.