Carlos Motta: Pleas of Resistance
From late February 2027, Nikolaj Kunsthal presents "Pleas of Resistance", a major solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed Colombian-American artist Carlos Motta (b. 1978).
Bringing together key works spanning more than two decades of artistic practice, the exhibition unfolds an uncompromising artistic universe in which film, installation, performance, and photography intertwine to explore religion, colonialism, gender, sexuality, and structures of power – while questioning who has historically been allowed to belong.
Foregrounding queer and non-Western perspectives, Motta consistently engages with marginalised histories and experiences that have often been excluded from dominant historical narratives. Through powerful imagery and symbolism, figures such as the devil, the saint, the fallen angel, and the siren are reimagined beyond religious and mythological conventions as radical icons of desire, resistance, and existential liberation.
"Pleas of Resistance" marks Carlos Motta’s first major solo exhibition and institutional presentation in Denmark.
Carlos Motta: Pleas of Resistance
Nikolaj Kunsthal
26 February – 25 July 2027
Opening Party: 25 February 2027 from 16.00
The exhibition is curated by Agustín Pérez Rubio and Aukje Lepoutre Ravn.
"Pleas of Resistance" is organised by MACBA Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona in collaboration with Nikolaj Kunsthal.
About Carlos Motta
Carlos Motta (b. 1978, Bogotá, Colombia) is an internationally acclaimed artist based in New York. For more than 25 years, he has worked at the intersection of art, politics, and activism, with a particular focus on queer identity, sexuality, colonialism, and religion. His multidisciplinary practice spans film, photography, sculpture, installation, and performance.
Recent major solo exhibitions include OK Linz (2026), MACBA – Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona (2025), Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá (2023), and Wexner Center for the Arts (2022). Motta has also participated in numerous international biennials, including the Venice Biennale (2024), Berlin Biennale (2020), and São Paulo Biennial (2016). His work is held in the permanent collections of institutions including MoMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York as well as Centre Pompidou in Paris and Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.
"Pleas of Resistance" was produced by MACBA – Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona, where it was presented in 2025, and marks Motta’s first major exhibition in Denmark.
