When I woke up this morning, I had forgotten what I dreamed about, but only remembered fragments, some snow, an iceberg and the hand of David. It is the sculpture of Michelangelo's hand that I am referring to and perhaps the dream is connected to an unconscious desire to see the exhibition that recently opened at the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark) in Copenhagen entitled Michelangelo Imperfect. What an interesting title. The imperfection was surely not in my thoughts when I first saw a cast of the sculpture. Maybe the opposite. It was in 1994 outside the Cast Collection in Copenhagen. I was studying at the University of Copenhagen at the time and remember how I was drawn towards the sculpture when I was walking along Langelinje not far from the sculpture of the little mermaid. Michelangelos sculpture is based on the story of David and Goliath and depicts the 16-year-old David, who, according to the Bible, fought against and won over the giant and in every way superior Goliath.
I remember an immediate fascination with the physicality of the sculpture, the sheer size of it and the elegant pose with contraposto of the figure, resting on his right leg. A position that is calm, but at the same time so full of the power of possibility. Even then, it was primarily the hand that fascinated me. Not the left hand with the sling, but the right hand, which is quite oversized in relation to the slender body. You can't see what the young man is holding in his hand. Maybe it is a stone, but the hand with the clearly marked veins and the tense grip is like a concentrated image of will and courage. The sculpture was carved from a huge block of marble and immediately became a symbol of freedom and resistance in Florence, back then a magnificent city-state in Europe with enemies all over.
- I am sitting here, writing in my hometown Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands. A place in so many ways far from the magnificent works of the Renaissance. But the story of David is also here a beloved Bible story about how the small can conquer the big if only one has justice on their side. Right now and here, USA is Goliath. Greenland is David. But Greenland is not alone. Greenland is part of a commonwealth together with the Faroe Islands and Denmark. Greenland, like the Faroe Islands have never participated in war. We have been dormant members of NATO and now we understand that we should have been less dormant. We have lived in the time of the dove. Now it is the time of the eagle. I am very grateful that I recently had the pleasure of curating an exhibition at the Scandinavian House in New York. What an amazing place. And such wonderful, open, friendly and interesting people. I even made friends for life in New York and I know that it is not in their nature to want to take over other people's countries. And no matter how often it is repeated from the White House that it is necessary for the United States to own Greenland, we all residents of the (so far) free world must remind each other that it is not okay, it is not acceptable to take over other people's countries. It´s not right even to talk about it. If you're in doubt about something you can always reverse, try reversing the idea so that Greenland takes over the United States. Would that feel right? Not really; Kalaallit Nunaat/ Greenland belongs to Greenland and the people there. It is not okay to talk about acquiring and to justify it with claims of security. The arguments of imperialism are not tenable and they are not new either. They are based on a primitive way of thinking where the entire world and existence are viewed from a spreadsheet of assets and liabilities where power equals money. Greenland is so much more than that. Imagine even having the thought of wanting to own Greenland. There is so much arrogance in the mere thought that it makes me sad. But I find consolation in the hand of David.
Kinna Poulsen
