Flag installation on the ramparts along the façade of SMK National Gallery of Denmark.

10 flagpoles and 18 flags.

On either side of SMK’s main entrance, six flagpoles display flags in a variety of shapes and colours. The installation takes its starting point in international signal flags, which are used for communication, particularly at sea. Several of the flags refer to emergency signals and calls for help.

The colours are inspired by the national flags of countries affected by prolonged armed conflicts, and correspond to the bold primary colours of the international signal flag system. The flags are arranged symmetrically around the museum’s central axis, while their varying shapes and colour combinations disrupt the sense of order and symmetry.

The title We wish to communicate with you derives from the signal flag indicating a desire to establish contact. The work explores the possibilities and limitations of communication – the desire to reach out and be understood, but also the risk of messages being lost or misunderstood.

While the installation initially appears festive and colourful, it carries a more sombre undertone. The flags can be read as a collective distress signal, pointing to conflicts and crises around the world, the breakdown of dialogue, and hands reaching out without being met.

Made for Couples Therapy - Society on the Couch, four artist duos - Bank & Rau, Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, J&K and Randi & Katrine - take over the museum, and society is put on the couch in the exhibition, which explores communities and connectedness. New installations, performances, retrospective works and an archive.

Up until January 2027.

Photo: Thomas Andersen