Portrait of a Woman in a Light: a painful confession of an artist who opened up historical wounds and became a victim of a sexist witch hunt
"The Light" is a dynamic documentary that tells the story of a little-known outside Denmark, but neverthless loud art scandal surrounding the installation "Peace Sculpture." Created in 1995 by Elle-Mie Ejdrup Hansen in honor of the 50th anniversary of the country’s liberation from Nazi occupation, it was a laser beam spanning 532 kilometers, connecting 6,000 remaining military bunkers built by Danish workers for the Nazis. The project highlighted the uneasy ambiguity in the collective memory of the Danes, as these structures are essentially forgotten reminders of collaboration with the occupiers. The artist simply wanted to shed light on a complex issue but instead provoked the anger of resistance veterans, the media, and patriarchal authorities who for decades upheld Denmark's historical image as a neutral country. Ejdrup was bombarded with ideological accusations and death threats, and her career was nearly ruined for the next 20 years.
Original language: Danish Subtitles: Belarusian | English