Inuuteq Storch: Rise of the Sunken Sun

The critically acclaimed exhibition Rise of the Sunken Sun by the artist Inuuteq Storch opens on 9 May 2025 at Fotografisk Center in an adjusted format. The exhibition, which received great attention in the Danish Pavilion at the prestigious Venice Biennale in 2024, allows the audience to experience a nuanced narrative of Storch’s homeland, Kalaallit Nunaat (which means land of the Kalaallit, the Greenlanders) through his personal and unique approach to the photographic medium. The exhibition has already been recognised as an important contribution to both art history and history: Storch was both the first artist from the North Atlantic part of the Danish Kingdom and the first photographer to have a solo exhibition in the Danish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Storch challenges the long-standing tendency for outsiders – rather than the people of Kalaallit Nunaat themselves – to shape the visual history of Kalaallit Nunaat. In Rise of the Sunken Sun, Storch presents a multifaceted view of Kalaallit Nunaat through six thematic photographic series. The exhibition includes Storch's intimate and poetic portrayals of daily life in his hometown of Sisimiut, images from his family's photo archives, as well as a digitized compilation of historical photographs by John Møller, the first professional Kalaaleq photographer. The newest works consist of photographs from Qaanaaq, the northernmost town, as well as the almost spherical, transparent images in the series Necromancer.

Rise of the Sunken Sun weaves personal narratives together with a broader exploration of identity, history, and daily life. Through both his own works and archival photographs, Storch creates a nuanced portrayal of life in Kalaallit Nunaat, while also revealing the subtle traces of the country's colonial history. Themes of decolonization and the decolonial potential of the camera emerge as underlying threads. 

About Rise of the Sunken Sun at Fotografisk Center Storch says: ‘I am thrilled that my exhibition Rise of the Sunken Sunwill be shown at Fotografisk Center. It has previously been presented to an international audience at the Venice Biennale in 2024, and now it means a lot to me to be able to show my photographs to a broad Danish audience. In Kalaallit Nunaat we live closely together with Denmark but Denmark not so much with us. I hope the exhibition will do something to change that. My photographs show our daily lives and strong community. I hope the audience will embrace it!’. 

The photographic series in the exhibition are accompanied by musical compositions and soundscapes as well as a sculptural element in the form of a semicircle which symbolises the Arctic sunrise over the white icy landscape, referencing Kalaallit Nunaat’s flag (Erfalasorput), traditional Inuit beliefs and the exhibition title Rise of the Sunken Sun.

Partnership and event programme:
The exhibition Rise of the Sunken Sun is presented in a special partnership with Politiken’s Forhal, which will present the exhibition Breathe the Ice with Inuuteq Storch during the same period. With the exhibition Breathe the Ice Storch has created a site-specific total installation for Politikens Forhal. Here, he delves into JP/Politiken Media Group extensive photo archive, which contains more than a century of photojournalistic material that has, over the decades, helped shape the Danish public’s narratives about Kalaallit Nunaat. The partnership includes a joint opening and a series of events where the many facets of Storch’s artistic practice will be highlighted. Read more about the exhibition at Politikens Forhal here. 

Event programme:
9 May: Joint opening
4-5.30pm: Opening: Breathe the Ice. Place: Politikens Forhal. 
5.30-8.30pm: Opening: Rise of the Sunken Sun. Place: Fotografisk Center.

11 May, 1-2pm
Artist talk with Inuuteq Storch and curator Louise Wolthers about Rise of the Sunken Sun. Place: Fotografisk Center.

15 May, 4.30-5.15pm
Talk with Inuuteq Storch and publisher Jacob Birch about photography, archives and photo books. Place: På Trappen, Politikens Hus. In collaboration with Art Matter Festival. 

23 May, 4.30-5.15pm
Guided tour in the exhibition Rise of the Sunken Sun. Place: Fotografisk Center. In collaboration with Art Matter Festival. 

19 June, 4.30-6pm
Launch of the exhibition publication Breathe the Ice and curator guided tour in Breathe the Ice. Place: Politikens Forhal. In collaboration with Copenhagen Photo Festival. 

20 June, 4.30-5.15pm
Guided tour in the exhibition Rise of the Sunken Sun. Place: Fotografisk Center. In collaboration with Copenhagen Photo Festival. 

Participation in events at Fotografisk Center is free after having paid entrance to the exhibition. Please note that tickets to events cannot be purchased in advance, and there is a limited number of seats available for each event. There is free entrance to the joint opening May 9 but please notice that there is a limited of space in the exhibition.

Collaboration and foundations: 
Rise of the Sunken Sun was originally commissioned by the Danish Arts Foundation, Committee for Visual Arts Project Funding, which selected Inuuteq Storch to exhibit at the Danish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2024. Rise of the Sunken Sun is curated by Louise Wolthers, Head of Research and Curator at the Hasselblad Foundation in Gothenburg. The exhibition at the Venice Biennale was funded by the Danish Arts Foundation and received additional support from Kvadrat, the New Carlsberg Foundation, Eqqumiitsuliornermut Aningaasaateqarfik (Kalaallit Nunaat’s Art Fund), and the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces.

The exhibition at Fotografisk Center is generously supported by the Danish Arts Foundation, the Augustinus Foundation, Dronning Margrethes og Prins Henriks Fond, Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond, Knud Højgaards Fond, William Demant Fonden, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond, Politiken-Fonden and Beckett-Fonden. Thank you to the Muncipality of Copenhagen that supports the operations of Fotografisk Center and to our partner DGI Byen. The exhibition at Fotografisk Center has been developed in collaboration with the Hasselblad Foundation, that will show the exhibition in 2026.

Publication and book: 
In connection with the exhibition Rise of the Sunken Sun at the Venice Biennale, the book Rise of the Sunken Sun was designed by Spine Studio and published by Strandberg Publishing. In addition to a comprehensive presentation of Storch's photographic series, the book includes an introduction by Louise Wolthers and an essay by Heather Igloliorte. In connection with Rise of the Sunken Sun at Fotografisk Center there will be published a smaller publication about the exhibition at Fotografisk Center. The publication and the book Rise of the Sunken Sun will be available for purchase in Fotografisk Centers book store. 

Image credit: Inuuteq Storch, Soon Will Summer Be Over, 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Wilson Saplana Gallery.