Corridor III: Valdemar Daa

The exhibition Corridor III: Valdemar Daa, curated by the Berlin-based collective insitu, will turn the Kunsthal Viborg into a location where an old Viborg story is brought to life and the magic of alchemy can be experienced.

For Aarhus, European Capital of Culture 2017, insitu presents the culmination of an ambitious three exhibition cycle dealing with the potential of time travel. Described as Corridors each exhibition takes visitors on an unfolding narrative that provides a special exhibition-viewing experience. Corridor III: Valdemar Daa begins with a historic moment related to the legend around Valdemar Daa, whose body lies in a coffin at the Viborg Cathedral and whose story had inspired the Hans Christian Andersen tale “The Story of the Wind” (1859).

With: Jenny Brockmann, Irina Birger, A/A (Andreas Greiner & Armin Keplinger), Kitty Kraus, Alicja Kwade, Helene Hellmich, huber.huber, Julian Rosefeldt, Elsa Salonen, Nika Fontaine, Scene Everything, Troika, Virginie Yassef

Around 1660, the Danish alchemist Valdemar Daa – while depleting his family fortune in its pursuit – was convinced that he found the philosopher’s stone. Shortly after, so the story goes, the glass containing the precious liquid ruptured and smashed. He was never able to prove his discovery. The philosopher’s stone is one of the most sought-after treasures in the world of alchemy. Over hundreds of years, alchemists from the Arabic countries through to East Asia and Europe have tried to create the magical mixture said to prolong life and transform impure material into pure.

‘Corridor III: Valdemar Daa’ invites visitors to enter into a mindset where different kinds of mystical knowledge and beliefs pervaded over today’s version of science. They will be taken on a journey through the mysteries of alchemy, the human faith in the potential for natural materials to hold treasures of incredible power, and one person’s obsessive search for the seemingly impossible.

The exhibition is curated by Berlin based curatorial initiative insitu. insitu consists of Marie Graftieaux, Nora Mayr, Gilles Neiens and Lauren Reid, who run a non-profit exhibition space for contemporary art.