I Am Queen Mary: A Guerrilla Monument to Colonial Resistance
In 2018, artists La Vaughn Belle and Jeannette Ehlers launched a significant 23-foot sculpture titled I Am Queen Mary along the waterfront of Copenhagen. The artwork honors Mary Thomas, who led the Fireburn labor uprising in the Danish West Indies in 1878, marking Denmark's inaugural acknowledgment of its colonial history with an emphasis on the resilience of Black women. Kristine Nielsen, in her article in ARTMargins, describes the installation as a 'guerrilla monument,' highlighting themes of labor, race, and collective memory while fostering dialogue around the complexities of shared historical narratives.
Key facts
- I Am Queen Mary was unveiled in 2018 on the Copenhagen waterfront.
- The monument is 23 feet tall and depicts Mary Thomas, leader of the 1878 Fireburn labor revolt.
- It is Denmark's first public commemoration of its colonial past.
- Artists La Vaughn Belle and Jeannette Ehlers created the monument.
- The essay by Kristine Nielsen appears in ARTMargins Volume 15, Issue 1.
- The monument is analyzed as a 'guerrilla monument' using Alan Rice's concept.
- The essay references scholars Vincent Brown, Paul Gilroy, Saidiya Hartman, Jennifer Morgan, and Michael Rothberg.
- The work references the Black Panther Party and stages a dialogue between Caribbean and Danish histories.
Entities
Artists
- La Vaughn Belle
- Jeannette Ehlers
- Mary Thomas
Institutions
- ARTMargins
- MIT Press
Locations
- Copenhagen
- Denmark
- Danish West Indies
- Caribbean