Doormat, painted metal chain, sugar cube walls, model patrol boat, artificial Hortensia flower wreath. Variable dimensions.

The French embassy itself is the starting point of the work. The pompous building is situated in an area of Copenhagen that is built on money that was made on sugar trade, back when Denmark had colonized the West Indies.
The embassy almost serves as a map or quintessence of the old wealthy Europe. You enter a rich environment and you literally ascend to the sacred heaven. The visitor is welcomed by the title, which is printed on a doormat lying in front of the staircase. The title is an ironic take on the renowned Led Zeppelin track, Stairway to Heaven.
A metal chain winds its way through all the levels of the staircase and keeps the work together as a ‘guide’ who is going to escort you up the stairs. The chain is thick, heavy, and brutal inside this beautiful interior of ornaments, Gobelin tapestries and antique furniture.
To even enter the embassy, you need to bring your passport. The European beetroot-colored passports are some of the most powerful and travel-friendly passports in the world as they give visa-free access to many countries and a high degree of freedom of movement. The beetroot color is an obsession in the artwork. The installation could be understood as the old and the present Europe seen through beetroot-colored lenses. You start off with walls built in sugar cubes. Then you meet coast-patrol boats, which are so very familiar to us, from the media. And then you finally reach the top, the heaven – only to encounter this huge floral wreath filled with sorrow and recollection of all the incidents of terror and violence worldwide.
The project is generously supported by the Danish Arts Foundation.

Included in the group show Carte Blanche, the French Embassy, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Curated by Natalia Gutman.
Artists: Ann Louise Andersen, Peter Callesen, Jeannette Ehlers, FOS, Lise Harlev, Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, Peter Land, Choki Lindberg, Tina Maria Nielsen.

Photo: Lior Zilberstein + Choki Lindberg + Hesselholdt & Mejlvang.