9 meters wide and 4½ meters tall the giant letters FUNDAMENTALISM will be standing in the centre of Copenhagen. Below each letter 600 of the darkest and brightest quotes from the Torah, Bible and Quran shows on 28 screens.

 

The president of the EU Martin Schulz put an end to a planned exhibition of the sculpture by the EU Parliament last fall. He did not believe that the integrity of the art piece could be guaranteed. See letter from Schulz & Der Spiegel article. By doing this he and the Bureau of EU overruled 30 elected EU parliamentarians’ request to exhibit the sculpture. It was the Danish Member of Parliament, Bendt Bendtsen (Christian Democrats), who gathered the support for the exhibition.

 

Now the controversial work from Jens Galschiot will be exhibited next to Copenhagen City Hall, from Tuesday April 26^th till May 8^th. It is the first time the sculpture is exhibited in public, and Galschiot is very excited to see the reactions.

I think that it is great that Heavenly Days (who has invited Galschiot to exhibit) chooses to exhibit the sculpture, and that the City of Copenhagen provides the location. By doing this they open up for a necessary debate. With the exhibition of 'Fundamentalism' in the heart of Copenhagen the Politicians, religious organisations, and the Medias will have to consider the statement of the sculpture. That central parts of the religions are virtually the same.

It is Heavenly Days (5^th-8^th May), who has asked Galschiot to exhibit the sculpture. By doing this they hope to start a dialogue concerning the monotheistic religions. In addition 60 of Galschiot’s refugee sculptures will be exhibited in churches all around Copenhagen in this period of time.  

 

An official exhibition opening takes place on tuesday April 26^th from 5pm to 6pm, at Regnbuepladsen (next to City Hall in Copenhagen). There will be speeches and drinks and Galschiot will present the sculpture and his visions for the project.