So We Shoot the Worst Dog – Feed It to the Others

The images depict the first accurate topographical map of Greenland, which consists of approximately 3,500 photographs captured between 1978 and 1987. The primary purpose of this map was to aid in the discovery of natural resources such as oil, coal, and various rare metals.

Accompanying the images is an excerpt from the 2022 Netflix film "Against the Ice." The film portrays the journey of two Danish explorers who venture to northeastern Greenland in 1909. Their mission is to uncover evidence that supports Danish sovereignty over the entire area, countering American demands.

Background

Greenland has been part of Denmark for over 300 years, first as a colony and then as a province since 1953. Greenland and the Faroe Islands joined the Danish kingdom through a constitutional reform. This was done with the blessing of the United Nations, which was working intensively on decolonization at that time. After 1953, the Danish state attempted to shape Greenlandic society according to its own vision. The impacts this had on Greenlandic society are not widely recognized in Danish context. I work with Danish archives and collections about Greenland that have been collected by Danes. As someone who has never been to Greenland, I approach the topic with my own prejudices, having grown up with ideas and stories about Greenland that I received from school, the media, and my family. As part of the process, I work with individual series that I combine in different ways.