From Friday, September 6, artist and director Nønne Mai Svalholm will exhibit seven very symbolic silk banners in Kunsthal Aarhus’ Gallery 1. The exhibition, Red Flags, originates from the choreographic performance at Aarhus City Hall in March 2024 in conjunction with International Women's Day. The exhibition focuses on murder and violence against women in Denmark and, in addition to the three-meter-high flags, consists of a soundscape with three narratives and two talks at Kunsthal Aarhus on September 12 and 25.

The seven banners are a central part of the exhibition, and they are placed on the long side of the gallery so that the visitors immediately encounter a kind of red and white procession. The banners are Svalholm's interpretation of a classical banner, and they are arranged in an order where they gradually intensify into red.

The banners are made of silk, an exclusive textile often used for dresses, scarves, and lingerie for women. The light silk fabric is contrasted by the tall and heavy poles with pointed ends, designed to convey both insistence and threat. The white banner cloths feature large red markings in carefully selected shades, evoking associations with violence and blood. Has the silk been wrapped around the women, are the banners a weapon of defense or a form of evidence presented to the audience? These are questions that visitors can ask themselves as they encounter the exhibition.

The banners are developed, designed and realised in collaboration between Svalholm and the design duo KASPERSOPHIE. Visitors can also experience a soundscape featuring three narratives describing two murders and one attempted murder in Denmark from 1992 to 2016. Narrated by Line Vaaben, these stories are interwoven with a beautiful composition by Katinka Fogh Vindelev.

Red Flags draws from Line Vaaben and Asser Hedegård Thomsen's book En forudsigelig forbrydelse – kvindedrab i Danmark (A Predictable Crime - Femicide in Denmark) and Thomsen's PhD thesis Homicide in Denmark 1992-2016, which comprehensively examines all homicides in Denmark during that period.

The exhibition is created in collaboration with Danner, composer Katinka Fogh Vindelev, author Line Vaaben, Forlaget 28B and the artist duo KASPERSOPHIE.

The exhibition is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation, the Arts Council in Aarhus, the Augustinus Foundation and Statens Værksteder for Kunst.