In Conversation:
Cartographies
of Memory
Bristol, Arnolfini
Join us for a special In-Conversation featuring multidisciplinary Danish-Trinidadian artist Jeannette Ehlers, in dialogue with British film and art curator Karen Alexander.
Ehlers will share and discuss a selection of her video works that foreground black hair as a site for exploring colonialism, history, place and agency. Across cultures, hair and its styles are vital expressions of identity and fashion. For Ehlers, black hair – from afros to braids – serves as a powerful signifier of heritage and resistance, especially in confronting Danish colonialism. The event highlights her dedication to uncovering hidden histories, fostering community solidarity, and celebrating survival and resilience. In her recent series We’re Magic, We’re Real and Diasporic Frequencies, Ehlers uses long cornrows to weave connections between the body, memory and nature.
Conversation moderated by guest curator Karen Alexander.
Screenings
Bristol – Arnolfini
Friday 19 September, 19:00
With talk featuring Jeannette Ehlers, moderated by Karen Alexander.
Jeannette Ehlers is a Danish-Trinidadian artist based in Copenhagen. Ehlers’ practice takes shape experimentally across photography, video, installation, sculpture and performance. Her work explores decolonial hauntings and the possibility of empowerment and healing, serving as a reminder that history is not confined to the past but is firmly grounded in the present. Ehlers has participated in numerous group shows internationally, including the most recent, Prospect 6 in New Orleans, the 15th Havana Biennial, Ocean at Louisiana, Humlebæk, as well as Black Ancient Futures in MAAT in Lisbon, 2024. She is currently a PhD fellow at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Copenhagen.
Karen Alexander is an independent film and moving image curator, writer and researcher. She is currently the 3D Pathway Leader on BA Fine Art at Central Saint Martins and a consultant with Cinema Rediscovered in Bristol. In 2017 she co-founded the moving-image commissioning platform Philomela’s Chorus and is a regular speaker across the UK’s major arts and cinema venues.