Disobedient – ​​The Body in Punk by Marie Arleth Skov at ARoS

When you enter the new exhibition at ARoS, you notice that it isn't the kind of exhibition you usually see in the museum. Here the walls are painted dark gray and the white text on them gives you the historical background for the works. On the first wall you can read about the emergence of punk, while your eyes get used to the dim light. “NO FUTURE” it says and you immediately get the feeling that the exhibition will show more than just punk music and fashion.

“Unruly - The Body in Punk” is a research-based exhibition by curator Marie Arleth Skov and is the result of her three-year postdoctoral research project in collaboration between ARoS and Aarhus University. It brings together 130 works, including photography, film, jewellery, fanzines, etc.

The subculture that started a revolution

Punk emerged in the 70s as a rebellion against societal norms, lack of freedom, established authorities and the right to one's own body. An entire generation had lost faith in their future in a time of economic crisis, political unrest and high youth unemployment. A subculture emerged with the slogan “NO FUTURE” and do-it-yourself (DIY) became the core concept, encouraging everyone to participate in music, visual, performing and contemporary art and community organization. Fanzines emerged, allowing radical ideas to be spread directly and social activism was used to fight everything from fascism and war, to queer rights and environmental justice.

You didn't necessarily have to say anything to participate in activism. Your appearance became an expression of rebellion. The exhibition carries many faces of young people where this can be clearly seen. You quickly notice the many young people with unconventional hairstyles, black and harsh makeup, torn clothes and accessories with unconventional materials such as safety pins, leather and heavy chains. And when you study each image and accompanying text, it becomes clear that punk was a voice for the silenced. A raw and uncompromising form of expression for what society was trying so hard to hide.

Punk behind the wall

This becomes particularly clear in the exhibition's look at the punk scene in East Berlin. Under the GDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), punk developed into one of the most significant and persecuted underground movements. Young East Germans who opposed the lack of freedom, coercion and censorship used punk music and fashion as a space for rebellion. Punk artists were monitored and banned from exhibitions.

It may sound like a tale from the distant past, but here too the parallels to the present are hard to ignore. Today we still see books being banned and artists being met with censorship and resistance because their works challenge norms, power or ideologies. As you wander through the exhibition, you can feel a raw energy from the many souls in the works, who were simply trying to create a presence in, not to belong.

Pay particular attention to the physical setup the works are hanging on. It looks like aluminum scaffolding and supports the raw and honest theme the exhibition brings. But when you look closer at the scaffolding, you are left with a conflicting feeling and wonder whether it is being built up or taken down. This is exactly what the exhibition shows in its essence, the honest and raw driving force that lies deep in punk.

Breaking with the natural female body

On the next wall of the exhibition it says “The Body as Canvas” and that is exactly what you encounter. One of the most thought-provoking things about the exhibition is its look at the female body, which is experienced as a radical rejection of normative femininity. Women reclaimed their bodies from society’s expectations and norms, through the use of their physical presence, fashion and confrontational performances that undermined patriarchal control and expressed bodily autonomy.

In this part of the exhibition, the animalistic is particularly evident. Punk's fascination with the animalistic shows a game of resistance, with the wild and untamed on one side and the limited and confined on the other. Birds are a recurring theme and you can see works where the bird's wings are used as a symbol of freedom and works where it is used as a symbol of power.

One of the photographs that touched me the most was Nina Sten-Knudsen's needle jewelry. She made a necklace out of needles and wore them herself, the tips pointing both outwards and inwards, so they hurt if anyone tried to touch her. It demonstrated how she felt about herself and the world at the time.

Photo: Christina

The night as a free space

At the end of the exhibition, you enter a separate, screened-off room where night reigns supreme. The social norms that must be navigated during the day disappear. Freaks and outcasts could meet in the dark, without anyone demanding an explanation. Punk photography and fashion used fetish elements such as provocation and BDSM as an artistic exploration of power and powerlessness. But amidst all its turmoil, the punk body was also romantic, intimate and vulnerable. Patti Smith once sang that the night belongs to lovers and somewhere in that quote hides the entire mood of the room.

Punk doesn't feel like a thing of the past at ARoS

In a time when right-wing extremism is increasingly seen in politics, tradwives and the “divine” female body is taking over young people’s social media, geopolitical unrest due to oil conflicts is increasing and job satisfaction is declining, the exhibition is more relevant than ever. When you see the works today, it is hard not to ask yourself how far we have really come.

Because even though decades have passed since the heyday of punk, the female body is still surrounded by strong norms, expectations and attitudes. Perhaps that is precisely why Ulydig hits so hard. It not only tells the story of a subculture from the past, but also reminds us that many of the struggles that punk took up are still very relevant.

Background music played during the exhibition:

• Sex Pistols - "God Save the Queen", 1977
• X-Ray Spex - "Oh Bondage! Up yours!", 1977
• Sham 69 – “Angels with Dirty Faces”, 1978
• Nina Hagen – “Unbeschreiblich Weiblich”, 1978
• The Clash – “London Calling”, 1979
• Cliché – “Bodyguards”, 1980

If you want to experience Disobedient yourself

• Location: ARoS Aarhus Art Museum, Level 5 (Focus).
• Period: June 27, 2026 – December 13, 2026.
• Curator: Marie Arleth Skov.
• Tickets: Free with annual pass or included in
  the entrance ticket to ARoS.