What does it mean to truly be seen? Here, before the I Am Queen Mary statue in Copenhagen, that question echoes powerfully. I Am Queen Mary isn’t just a statue. It’s a declaration. It’s a monument to Mary Thomas, a sugarcane plantation worker who ignited the Fireburn labor revolt in St. Croix in 1878. This 23-foot-tall figure sits atop a plinth of coral stones, a stark reminder of the enslaved Africans who harvested them. The I Am Queen Mary statue is the first public monument in Denmark to honor a Black woman. It commemorates the centennial of the transfer of the Danish West Indies to the United States. Mary Thomas, one of the “Queens of the Fireburn,” led a revolt that engulfed fifty plantations and most of Frederiksted, St. Croix, in flames. Her defiance against slavery-like conditions echoes in this space. Look closely at I Am Queen Mary. In her left hand, a torch of defiance burns bright. In her right, a sugarcane cutting tool, a symbol of her labor and her resistance. Her seated pose deliberately mirrors the iconic photograph of Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton. This statue is a collaboration, a fusion of the artists’ own bodies into a powerful representation of Mary Thomas. The I Am Queen Mary statue was damaged by a winter storm in 2020. The figure is currently undergoing restoration, but an augmented reality version keeps her spirit alive in this space. This monument stands as a testament to resilience, a beacon illuminating the struggle for recognition and the enduring power of resistance. The fight for whose stories are told continues, here at the I Am Queen Mary statue, a symbol of hope and remembrance in the heart of Copenhagen.
Galleri KANT
Founded in 2009 by Kerry Harm Nielsen and Anna Gram Sørensen Galleri KANT is more than just a gallery. It’s