From Andes to Aarhus

From Andes to Aarhus takes you on a visual journey from the Peruvian Andes to Aarhus. The journey begins nearly 4,000 meters above sea level, where small mountain streams gather and grow into larger rivers. From there, the water travels through valleys and down into the warm, humid jungle, as the landscape slowly changes along the way.

The exhibition follows the Huallaga River as it moves through Peru. The river brings life and nourishment with it. It provides water for crops, food for animals and people, and has for generations supported both ancient and present-day cultures along its banks. Eventually, it joins other rivers and becomes part of the vast Amazon river system.

But along its course, signs of change are visible. Water that was once clear and freely used has in some places been affected by mining and agriculture. Wildlife that once thrived in and around the river has become less common. When the quality of water changes, life around it changes too — for nature, for families, and for the traditions connected to the river.

Water always moves forward. It connects mountains to jungle — and the jungle to the wider world. In the same way, raw materials and food products travel from Peru to Europe. Copper and lithium are used in our electronics, while crops such as blueberries, avocados and quinoa appear in European supermarkets.

From Andes to Aarhus shows how these cycles are connected. What begins as small streams in the mountains becomes part of a larger system — one that, in different ways, reaches all the way to us.