I Am Queen Mary (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Dublin Core
Title
I Am Queen Mary (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Subject
Subject (Topic)
Denmark--Copenhagen
Public art
Public sculpture
Resistance
Transatlantic slave trade
Slave insurrections--St. Croix (USVI)
Slavery--Denmark
Slavery--St. Croix (USVI)
Denmark--Copenhagen
Public art
Public sculpture
Resistance
Transatlantic slave trade
Slave insurrections--St. Croix (USVI)
Slavery--Denmark
Slavery--St. Croix (USVI)
Subject (Name)
Thomas, Mary (Queen Mary), ca. 1848–1905
Thomas, Mary (Queen Mary), ca. 1848–1905
Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture
Commemorative sculpture
Description
The statue is an allegorical portrait of Mary Thomas, known as Queen Mary, an enslaved woman who worked on a sugar cane planation in the Danish West Indies (now Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands). She led the largest labor revolt in Danish colonial history, the "Fireburn" Uprising in 1878. Mary is shown seated in a wicker throne; she holds a cane knife in one hand and a torch in the other. Dressed in a simple cotton shift and wearing a head wrap, Mary sits atop a plinth made of coral stones cut out of the sea at Saint Croix by enslaved Africans.
"In December 2020 a winter storm severely damaged the monument. The figure was removed and an Augmented Reality version of the sculpture was developed to hold space for the work and activate new dialogues. The artists are currently working towards raising the funds to ensure that this towering monument stays at the entrance to Copenhagen's port for generations to come. Acknowledging the imbalances between colonial powers and their former colonies, the fundraising campaign will leverage the visibility and resources generated by the existing monument in Copenhagen to secure the funds to make a companion one possible in St. Croix." (https://www.iamqueenmary.com)
"In December 2020 a winter storm severely damaged the monument. The figure was removed and an Augmented Reality version of the sculpture was developed to hold space for the work and activate new dialogues. The artists are currently working towards raising the funds to ensure that this towering monument stays at the entrance to Copenhagen's port for generations to come. Acknowledging the imbalances between colonial powers and their former colonies, the fundraising campaign will leverage the visibility and resources generated by the existing monument in Copenhagen to secure the funds to make a companion one possible in St. Croix." (https://www.iamqueenmary.com)
Creator
Ehlers, Jeannette, 1973-
Belle, La Vaughn, 1974-
Belle, La Vaughn, 1974-
Source
Photograph: Barnard College
Date
March 31, 2018
Contributor
The Municipality of Copenhagen; Wow Factory; 3D Printhuset; SMK; The National Gallery of Denmark; ActionAid, Denmark; Beckett-Fonden; the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces
Rights
Jeannette Ehlers and La Vaughn Belle, https://www.iamqueenmary.com/press-images-for-download.
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
Vestindisk Pakhus, Toldbodgade 40, 1253 Copenhagen, Denmark
Has Part
Stone plaque on front of plinth:
I Am Queen Mary
A Hybrid of Bodies, Nations & Narratives
By La Vaughn Belle and Jeannette Ehlers 2018
I Am Queen Mary
A Hybrid of Bodies, Nations & Narratives
By La Vaughn Belle and Jeannette Ehlers 2018
Extent
276 in. (701.04 cm)
Medium
Polystyrene; Sealants; Paint; Coral stones from St. Croix, Virgin Islands
Bibliographic Citation
Barnard University. "Break This Down: I Am Queen Mary at Barnard." October 15, 2019. Accessed February 16, 2025. https://barnard.edu/news/break-down-i-am-queen-mary-barnard.
I Am Queen Mary. Accessed February 16, 2025. https://www.iamqueenmary.com/.
Rights Holder
Renée Ater
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Sculpture
Physical Dimensions
276 in. (701.04 cm)
Collection
Citation
Ehlers, Jeannette, 1973-Belle, La Vaughn, 1974-, “I Am Queen Mary (Copenhagen, Denmark),” Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past, accessed October 1, 2026, https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1157.