Jeannette Ehlers: Black Bullets

Jeannette Ehlers’ video work Black Bullets is inspired by the Haitian Revolution of 1791, which led to the establishment of the first independent Black republic. Filmed at La Citadelle in Haiti, the work pays tribute to resistance, revolution, and the recovery of marginalized histories and perspectives.

Jeannette Ehlers (born 1973) has a Danish-Trinidadian background and is based in Copenhagen. She graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2006.

Many of Ehlers’ works engage with questions of colonial history, memory, and identity, including Denmark’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. Through video and other media, she explores how visual narratives can challenge dominant historical perspectives and bring overlooked stories into view.

The atmosphere of Black Bullets draws on references to the Haitian Revolution and spiritual traditions associated with the uprising. Through slow movement and a meditative visual language, the work creates a contemplative experience that invites reflection on resistance, memory, and historical continuity.

Installed in a corridor, the work unfolds alongside the movement of visitors through the space. As the figures on screen appear and disappear, the viewer becomes part of a parallel journey through the work.

Black Bullets was generously donated to SSE Art Initiative by Boston Consulting Group.

Text by SSE Art Initiative in collaboration with students Eline Buchner and Claire Holm Chow (2021).