21. April – 20. May, 2012

On Saturday the 21^st of April Thordis Johannesdottir will open her solo exhibition in Gallery Agust. Thordis graduated from the Icelandic Art Academy in 2007 and has participated in numerous exhibitions in Iceland and abroad, also as a part of the artist duo Hugsteypan.

The exhibition consists of a series of photographs she has worked on in the past few years. Her photographs have a poetical visage and connect to each other in form and colour. The moments in them is hard to pinpoint which gives them a surreal aura.

Welcome to the opening on Saturday the 21. April at 4 pm.

My main interest is in painting pictures of people, revealing their characters and representing, or at least suggesting, their emotional world.

Painting brings together thought and feeling.

My work on paintings is part of a continuous process of development and remaking. Pictures that I have previously made may be reworked in a different way or a part of a previous painting may be used in a new one. From this reworking a certain coherence develops and little by little a particular image world emerges.

The painting’s main elements (composition, color and subject) must be in good harmony with each other. It is a matter of intuition whether this harmony has been achieved, whether the picture is „right.“

Before I start painting, I choose a subject and use it to make a sketch on the canvas. As the work progresses, the painting changes in various ways, quite often developing in unexpected directions. Nothing is given in advance. I try to give my subconscious free rein, following intuition and allowing things to happen by chance. It is this uncertainty that makes artistic creation so fascinating. It is a journey into the unknown.

The finished painting reveals something I can’t put into words. I don’t want to explain it and don’t think it needs explaining. Everyone should be allowed to interpret the work in his or her own way. That’s why I don’t give my pictures titles: I don’t want to bias the viewer with misleading words.

Ragnar Thorisson

Rosa Gisladottir

10. December, 2011 – 22. January, 2012

In December and for the Holidays the gallery space will be lit up by the art work of sculptor Rosa Gisladottir. Her work was on view in Rome in 2009 and is called The doubt of future foes, exiles my future joy, which is a quote from a poem by Queen Elizabeth the I.  It is made from plastic bottles, colored water and light and is monument reminding us of our modern consumerism and the accumulating plastic in our world.

Rosa Gisladottir is born in Icelandi in 1957 and studied sculpture at the Icelandic Collage of Arts and Crafts, Reykjavik, 1977-81 and at the Akademie of Fine Arts, Munich, 1981-86. She holds an MA in Art as Environment from Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester 2002. She lived and worked in Germany 1981-1986, the USA 1989-93 and England 1999-2003 and is currently based in Iceland. Her first solo exhibition was in Iceland in 1984. Since then Rosa has held many solo exhibitions and joint exhibitions in Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, the USA, Sweden, England, Italy and Iceland. She is currently preparing a large exhibition in Rome in the summer of 2012.

……………………

Rosa Gisladottir has been working on still life for a long time. This is a genre displaying motionless objects of everyday life, for example plates, jars and bottles.

After decades of neglect in the study of art, the importance of still life became increasingly recognized around the end of the last century. This renewed interest by art critics in particular focuses on the manner of organizing the system of still life objects in a spatial field.

Rósa Gísladóttir’s art is concerned with everyday objects. She is fascinated by artifacts which have been produced and utilized for millennia. In the course of a long development, the forms of plates, jars and bottles have become fixed. Similarly to the Dadaists, Rósa Gísladóttir uses already existing everyday forms in her work. She discovers the “perfect form” in the object of our immediate environment and in waste, making her selection on the basis of aesthetic criteria. A plastic Coca-Cola bottle, for example, is taken to represent a disturbing product of waste and, simultaneously, a precious form.

The artist also addresses the question which objects in our society will be preserved for the future. With her artistic interpretation of everyday objects she anticipates a chance transmission of objects to be discovered in future archaeological finds.

Gaby Weber, lic. phil., Art Historian, Winterthur, Switzerland

Ragnar Jonasson

8. October – 20. November, 2011

On Saturday the 8^th of October, Ragnar Jonasson will open his solo exhibition, ROOTS in Gallery Agust. The exhibition consists of new sculptures, photographs and paintings. Ragnar lives and works in Glasgow and has received attention for his unusual technique and unique use of colour in his work. Ragnar graduated from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts in 2004 and received his MFA from the Glasgow School of Art in 2008.

On Saturday the 20th of August the artist Hulda Vilhjalmsdottir opened her solo exhibition PICTURE OF HER. Hulda exhibits portraits of women, both paintings, drawings and a sculpture. Hulda graduated from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts in 2000 and has been dedicated to the painting ever since. Her work has been described as intimate and honest but never dull.

The artists participating in the summer show are:

Harpa Dogg Kjartansdottir

Jon Sigurpalsson

Kolbeinn Hugi

Marta Maria Jonsdottir

Ragnar Jonasson

Ragnhildur Johanns

Rakel Bernie

Steingrimur Eyfjörd

Magnús Helgason was born in Reykjavík 1977. In the years 1997-2001 he studied visual arts ar the: AKI (Akademie voor beeldende kunst ) in Enschede, The Netherlands. Magnús has been active in visual arts, photography and experimental filmmaking since graduating. His work has been exhibited both in Iceland and abroad, his latest private show was in October 2010 in the Reykjavik Art Museum. Magnus performs live visuals / films to the music of acclaimed musicians such as Johann Johannsson, Kira Kira and Apparat Organ Quartet and has held shows in over 40 cities around the world. Among them are performances at the Pompidou in Paris, Kiasma Helsinki, Statens museum for kunst in Copenhagen and Bozar center for fine arts in Belgium. Magnus has also taught experimental filmmaking at the Icelandic Art Academy.

In his work Magnus expresses him self with bold colors and free movement. He often invites the audience to view his work from a defined angle by using abstract text. Magnus uses ambiguity, absurdism and humor in his work and thereby makes certain demands to the spectator.  The artist shifts his focus from the canvas onto a more unconventional material in his work. Wood and glass, even plastic and sometimes string and paper, can now be found in his paintings. The work may seem raw and obscure but are consciously created with political nuance or have subtle sociological criticism within them.

Girl and fire

Katrin Elvarsdottir exhibits her photographs  in the Akureyri Art Museum with Petur Thomsen in April. She exhibits her work from the Equivocal serie and also Nowhereland serie.

www.katrinelvarsdottir.com

Education

2008-2009   Iceland Academy of the Arts (Department of Art Education)

2004-2007   Iceland Academy of the Arts (BA, Department of Fine Arts)

2003-2004   The Reykjavík Scool of Visual Arts (Foundation Course)

2002-2003   Fjölbrautaskólinn í Breiðholti, Visual Arts, Iceland

2000-2002   Norges Toppidrettsgymnas,  Norway

1998-2000   Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi

Solo exhibition

2010   Úr mynd / Out of image –  Gallery Crymo, Reykjvík

2008   Innvols  – Listasalur Mosfellsbæjar

2008   Klikk í Klipp – Start Art, Laugavegur 12b, Reykjavík

2008   Flæði utan vegar/ Off-road Flow – Rauðhetta og Úlfurinn, Reykjavík

2005   Untitled – Úr að ofan,  Laugavegur 30a, Reykjavík

2004   Á milli tveggja heima / In-between two worlds - Gallery Tukt, Reykjavík

Group exhibition

2011   Supermarket, Stockholm, Sweden

2009   Flown in – Little Rock, Arkensas, USA

2009   Aquarell – Gallery CHUBB – Reykjavík

2009   Brotabrot - Gallery Crymogæa – Laugarvegur 41a, Reykjavík

2009   Útmörk -  Listasalur Ráðhúss Siglufjarðar

2009   Lífsmörk – At the old bookstore in Seyðisfjörður

2009   Minjar – Natural History Museum of Kópavogur

2009  Flökkukindur – Laugavegi 40, 42, 84 og 33, Reykjavík

2009   Inner space – Listasalur Iðu-hússins – Lækjargötu 2a, Reykjavík

2008   Grand opening – The Lost Horse Gallery, Reykjavík

2008   Blaðberinn Ber í Bókaverzlun Seyðisfjarðar – Seyðisfjörður

2008  Í grænni lautu – The Icelandic Printmakers Association – Reykjavík

2008   Díónýsía – Svarfaðardalur/Dalvík

2007   Brakarí - Seyðisfjörður

2007   Díónýsía – Hafnir

2007   Graduation Exhibition, Iceland Academy of The Arts,  Jarðhúsin í Ártúnsbrekku, Reykjavík

2007   El Grillo – Skaftfell, Seyðisfjörður

2006   Verbal and nonverbal representation, Malmö Konsthögskolan, Sweden

2006   Crosskick, Hot spo(r)t - Springhornhof, Germany

2006   City landscape – Gallery Kubbur, Iceland Academy of the Arts

2006   Mini me - Gallery Gyllinhæð

2005   Fragile Existence - Gallery Gyllinhæð

2005   HUR1102M – Gallery Kubbur – Iceland Academy of the Arts

2005   Garnival – Þórsgata 6, Reykjavík

2004   Untitled – Natural History Museum of Reykjavík

2003   Untitled– Safnið, Borgarnes

Curator and other projects

2010   Hrókering – Nýlistasafnið – uppsetning á safneign ásamnt sex öðrum listamönnum.

2010    Sarínó Sirkusinn – Borgarleikhúsið – Theatre set design

2009   Lífsmörk – At the old bookstore in Seyðisfjörður

2008   Flikur – Photography exhibition, Reykjavík City Hall

2008   Blaðberinn Ber í Bókaverzlun Seyðisfjarðar – Seyðisfjörður

2008   Díónýsía – Svarfaðardalur/Dalvík

Education

Iceland Academy of The Arts B.A in visual arts

The Reykjavík School of Visual Arts 2006-2007

Solo exhibitions

Poems atthe expence of the author, Gallery Crymo, 4.-14. March 2011

Put into word, Gallery Crymo May 2010

Women 30 and brazilian, Gallery Crymo september 2009.

Exhibitions

Group exhibition in Gallery 002. September 2010

Æringur in July at Stöðvarfjörður, Iceland.

Hand Traffic in The Box. Group exhibition in Skaftfell, center for visual arts 6. mars – 2. May 2010.

Skyssa in student gallery kaffistofa march 2009.

Kopar, exhibition in the Icelandic Printmakers assosiations gallery march 2008

Exhibition in Gallerí Tukt, march 2007.

Performances

Collaborative performance with Iain Sinclair at the Rich Mix Art Center London, November 2010.

Performance of reading visual poetry, 3am magazine reading at the Icelandic Embassy in London, November 2010.

Performance with out a title at Nýhil´s 6th international poetry festival, 22. Október 2010

SemSé performance of 20 people all reading visual poetry at the Einar Jónsson museum cultural night in Reykjavík 2010.

Untitled Performance Sultan Eldmóður, 9. febrúar 2010

Hljóðungur at The Lost Horse Gallery 7. september at the Sequences art festival

The Comodin Silverhammar Curates.

Untitled Performance, open mic, performance night at the Living Art Museum desember 2008.

Vesen, Performance night at the Living Arts Museum march 2009

Grand/i/a, collaborated Performance with Selma Hreggviðsdóttir and Þórgunnur Oddsdóttir. April 2008 at Grandagarður 53

One of the founding members and an editor of the magazine Endemi – magazine about contemporary art of Icelandic women.

Member of Gallery Crymo.
Member of the Living Arts Museum´s sound poetry quire performance group.
Member of the Weird Girls Project.

Gallery Agust is proud to present an exhibition of two young artists which opened on the 2. April. Harpa Dogg Kjartansdottir and Ragnhildur Johannsdottir will come together and show their recent work of collage, paintings,  prints and sculptures. They both play with two-dimensional and three-dimensional material and often use found objects in their work. Otherwise distinct and individual they represent young talent in Icelandic art. Harpa Dogg graduated from The Icelandic Academy of the Arts in 2007 and Ragnhildur in 2010.

More about Ragnhildur here.

More about Harpa Dogg here.

Gallery Agust is proud to have this opportunity to put together a show with this important chapter of work by Gudrun Kristjansdottir. Her prints and graphics show a creative work which is though only one layer in her artistic career. Her main subject matter, nature, land and weather appear in a different mode in the prints made with different printing techniques. Some of her most recent print work have recently been exhibited in large exhibitions in China.

CV Marta Jonsdottir

Málverk hennar hafa vakið athygli fyrir frumleika og þroskaða nálgun. Hún segir sjálf að málverk hennar séu samsett, lagskipt og tákni hvert sinn heim. Línur og form tengist og hangi á bláþræði. Það þurfi einungis veikan gust til að allt springi í loft upp.

Marta M. Jónsdóttir – Marta María Jónsdóttir

Ferilskrá

http://www.unnarorn.net/

Um sérstakt framlag Íslands og íslensks samfélags til sögu ófullkomleikans

Fenómena

Ferilskrá

http://www.ingunnfjola.net/

PAINTING SITE / Ingunn Fjóla Ingþórsdóttir

CV

http://www.internet.is/gudgunn

HUGHRIF / IMPRESSION

http://einar_garibaldi.lhi.is

Ferilskrá

Einar Garibaldi Eiríksson: Grand Tour / 1998 – 2010

http://www.magnea.net/

Á ferð

Ferilskrá

http://www.asdissifgunnarsdottir.com

Fenómena

CV

Víma / Intoxication

CV

http://this.is/endless/

Drawings & Sketches

Ferilskrá

Málverkasýning / Paintings

Ferilskrá

http://www.katrinelvarsdottir.com/

Margsaga / Equivocal

Equivocal the Sequel / Listahátíð í Reykjavík 2010 / Reykjavik Arts Festival 2010
Listahátíð í Reykjavík 2010 The Reykjavik Arts Festival 2010
20 verk

CV Gudrun Kristjansdottir

www.gudrun.is

Exhibition: PICTURES, 2008

His upcoming exhibition in Gallery Agust  FAUNALITIR opens on Saturday the 6. November at 4 pm.

Selected exhibitions:
Solo exhibitions: Hafnarborg Centre of Culture and Fine Art, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland (2009); Gallery 101, Reykjavik, Iceland (2009); Gallery Ágúst, Reykjavík, Iceland (2008); Safn Contemporary Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland (2007); Slúnkaríki, Ísafjörður, Iceland (2007); Culture Center Skaftfell, Seyðisfjöður, Iceland (2005).

Group exhibitions: Reykjavík Art Museum—Ásmundarsafn, Reykjavík, Iceland (2009); Kling & Bang gallery, Reykjavík, Iceland (2008); The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland (2007); Hérna -Hangart 7, Salzburg, Austria (2007); Reykjavik Art Museum—Hafnarhús, Reykjavik, Iceland (2006).

Link to information on David Örn at Hangart 7 in 2007.

S M A R T / Reykjavik Art Festival 2008

During the month of July 2010 Gallery Agust presents a unique art experience when the artist Ingunn Fjola Ingthorsdottir (b. 1976) will exhibit her installation Painting Site where the viewer can experience the spatial work of art from within. Painting Site was first exhibited at Cuxhavener Kunstverein in Germany in 2008 and is now on view for the first time in Iceland. Painting Site is made of painted chipboards mounted together in an upright position so they make small groups of partition walls that one can walk between and each plate seems to make an individual painting.

Ingunn Fjola Ingthorsdottir graduated from the Icelandic Acadamy of the Arts in 2007 but had previously graduated with a B.A. degree in Art History from Arhus University in Denmark. She has exhibited in Iceland and abroad, most recently in the exhibition Acknowledging knowledge currently on view at the LÁ Art Museum in Hveragerdi. Her most recent private exhibition was in Hafnarborg, The Hafnarfjordur Center of Culture and Fine Art, where she exhibited her installation Prism, previously this year. Ingunn Fjola works with a variety of media but painting is often a focus point in her work. She has created big spatial installations were the viewer enters the work, travels within it and experiences it from within.

Equivocal the Sequel
13. May – 26. June 2010
OPENING: Thursday, 13. May at 5. pm.

Gallery Agust presents new photographic works by artist Katrín Elvarsdottir for the Reykjavik Arts Festival 2010. The Equivocal the Sequel exhibition consists of a series of photographs that Katrín has been working on for the past 3 years. The works are an independent continuation of the artist’s exhibition Equivocal, presented in Reykjavik at Gallery Agust in 2008 and nominated for the prestigious Deutsche Börse Photographic Prize that same year. In this series of work, Equivocal the Sequel, Katrín attempts to integrate her own observations and experiences from the past and the present into a single unified concept. She combines imaginary environments with real ones, implying a sequence of events that appeals to the subconscious as well as to logic and rational thought. Katrín underlines this highly narrative approach with a careful choice of subject matter and through the use of repeated forms and colors.

Katrín Elvarsdottir (b.1964) is one of the leading contemporary photographers in Iceland. She studied photography at Brevard Community College, USA, graduating in 1990, and earned her BFA from The Art Institute of Boston in 1993. In her work Katrín succeeds in creating mysterious and even theatrical atmosphere with her subtle sensitivity of catching equivocal moments. She has held solo exhibitions in Iceland, Denmark and the USA as well as participated in numerous group shows around the world. She has received prestigious recognition including a nomination to the Icelandic Myndstef Visual Copyright Association Award in 2007 and first prize at the Camera Works exhibition in the USA in 2009. Her works can be found in numerous collections both private and public, including Reykjavik Art Museum and The National Museum of Iceland. Katrín Elvarsdottir lives and works in Reykjavik.

Interview with Katrín Elvarsdóttir in Nymphoto: Nymphoto- A Conversation with Katrín Elvarsdóttir

Review in Finnish newspaper Pohjalainen:Island-photography

Grand Tour - Milano 2000 Fundið málverk / Tableau trouvé 60 x 60 cm

Gallery Agust is proud to announce the opening of the solo exhibition of Einar Garibaldi Eiriksson, Grand Tour / 1998 – 2010, on Saturday 13th of February. Grand Tour consists of found paintings or “Tableaux Trouvés” which the artist has been collecting for the past dozen years from various cities in Italy. The title of the exhibition refers to the grand tour travels of the past when young aristocratic men would visit the cradle of European culture and study art, language and literature. Einar Garibaldi Eiriksson lives and works in Reykjavik, Iceland. He studied at the Iceland College of Art and Crafts and graduated from Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milano, Italy in 1991. Einar has kept a good contact with Italy and exhibits there regularly. He has participated in and curated numerous exhibitions as well as being a professor at the Icelandic Art Academy for many years. His work can be found in the collections of the main museums in Iceland. He has received numerous honors and stipends during his career.

The exhibition Grand Tour is on view until the 27th of March.

Einar Garibaldi’s website

ENGLISH:
On Friday the 18. December between 5-7 pm Gallery Agust invites you to a cultural cocktail hour with authors reciting from their new books and young musicians sharing music from fresh released records. Come and enjoy a drink, music and art before going Christmas shopping.

UPPLÝSINGAR AF VEFSLÓÐ BÓKAFORLAGSINS BJARTS: www.bjartur.is

JÓN KARL HELGASON: Mynd af Ragnari í Smára.
Tilnefnd til íslensku bókmenntaverðlaunanna

Ragnar í Smára var goðsögn í lifanda lífi; kraftmikill sveitastrákur úr Flóanum sem gerðist iðnrekandi, bókaútgefandi, málverkasafnari og lífið og sálin í íslensku tónlistarlífi um áratugaskeið. Ragnar var margbrotinn persónuleiki sem átti í nánu sambandi við alla helstu listamenn þjóðarinnar og þær hræringar í menningu og pólítík sem skóku þjóð hans og veröldina alla á tuttugustu öld.
Lesandi þessarar bókar slæst í för með forleggjaranum sem er á leið á Nóbelshátíð í Stokkhólmi í desember- mánuði árið 1955. Meðal þeirra sem á vegi hans verða eru Jón Stefánsson listmálari, Jón Helgason prófessor, Sigurður Nordal sendiherra og Halldór Laxness rithöfundur en við sögu kemur einnig fjöldi annarra einstaklinga, þekktra og óþekktra, sem eiga líf sitt og auðnu með einhverjum hætti undir hinum listelska athafnamanni.

Jón Karl Helgason, sem hefur um árabil rannsakað líf Ragnars, byggir frásögn sína á einkabréfum hans og vina hans, samtölum við samferðamenn og fjölmörgum öðrum birtum og óbirtum heimildum. Jón Karl dregur upp stílfærða mynd af heillandi og breyskum eldhuga, vináttu og átökum, og mikilvægum kafla í íslenskri menningarsögu. Jón Karl er dósent við íslensku- og menningardeild Háskóla Íslands. Meðal fyrri bóka hans eru Hetjan og höfundurinn (1998), Næturgalinn (1998), Höfundar Njálu (2001) og Ferðalok (2003).

ODDNÝ EIR ÆVARSDÓTTIR: Heim til míns hjarta.

Oddný Eir gaf Bjarti fyrst undir fótinn um miðjan tíunda áratuginn þegar hún tók þátt í póstkortasamkeppni forlagins og var hún meðal þeirra sem komust í fjórtán liða úrslit. Það var hins vegar ekki fyrr en vorið 2004 að hún slóst í hóp bókarhöfunda forlagins þegar verk hennar Opnun kryppunnar kom út í ritröðinni Svörtu línunni.

Oddný Eir er heimspekingur, menntuð í París, en hún hefur einnig rekið útgáfufyrirtækið Apaflösu ásamt Ugga Ævarssyni, skrifað kvikmyndahandrit og unnið við ferðaþjónustu á einskonar uppeldisstöðvum sínum á Grímstöðum á fjöllum og stundað rannsóknir á minjamenningu og myndlist á Íslandi og unnið með fjöldanum öllum af lista- og fræðimönnum. Oddný Eir er óforbetranlegur safnari, áhugamanneskja um brúðuleikhús og katakombur, aðdáandi Chaplins, Derrida, Milans Kundera og Hönnuh Arendt, unnandi smávindla og afkomandi Bólu-Hjálmars.

UPPLÝSINGAR UM TÓNLISTARMENNINA JÓN TRYGGVA OG UNI

Þann 1. Desember 2009 gaf Jón Tryggvi út sína firstu sóló plötu “Silkimjúk er syndin”. Platan inniheldur 12 frumsamin lög en tvö af þeim er samin við ljóð Davíðs Stefánssonar frá Fagraskógi, annarsvegar og Steins Steinarrs hinsvegar, annars eru aðrir textar eftir Jón. Jón Tryggvi heldur sig í þjóðlaga stíl en ferðast innan hanns um lendur bláma og trega, í gleðilegt kántrí og loks lætur hann kassagítarinn finna fyrir því í einhverskonar þjóðlaga rokki í nokkrum lögum. Hann fékk til liðs við sig valinkunna tónlistamenn til að skapa plötuna. Á trommur lék Óskar Þormarsson sem hefur einnig spilað með Fjallabræðrum, Bryjar Páll Björnsson úr Múgsefjun lék á bassa og Halldór Smárason lamdi ýmsar gerðir hljóð lykla þ.á.m. Harmonikku,
hundrað ára gamalt og rammfalskt piano, Hammond og Whulitzer. Plötuna má t.d. finna í Skífunni, Smekkleysu og Eymundsson en einnig er hægt að panta hana á netinu á www.jontryggvi.bandcamp.com

Unnur Arndísardóttir, eða Uni eins og hún kallar sig (borið fram Úní), gaf út sína fyrstu sólóplötu 1 Desember sl. Platan heitir “Enchanted”og inniheldur 12 frumsamin lög. Öll lög á plötunni eru eftir Uni fyrir utan 2, en þau eru eftir Baldvin Frey Þorsteinsson annars vegar og Andrés Lárusson hins vegar. Uni hefur lært tónlist frá unga aldri en lærði nú seinast tónsmíðar í Nýju Mexíkó í Bandaríkjunum. Platan “Enchanted” inniheldur fallegar, þjóðlegar og innilegar tónsmíðar. Þar sem náttúran er aðal áhrifavaldurinn. Hægt er að heyra tóndæmi af þessari nýju plötu áwww.uniuni.bandcamp.com

Um sérstakt framlag Íslands og íslensks samfélags til sögu ófullkomleikans. Ljósmyndir frá Íslandi 1930-1945 – Safnað af Sigurði Guttormssyni (1906-1998). Á sýningunni í Gallerí Ágúst sýnir Unnar Örn ljósmyndir teknar af híbýlum Íslendinga á fyrri hluta tuttugustu aldar. Líkt og í mörgum fyrri verka sinna leitar Unnar í rann sögunnar og varpar hér ljósi á heimildir tengdar stéttabaráttu, róttækni, heildarhyggju og hugsjónum þessa umbrotatíma. Ljósmyndunum var safnað af Sigurði Guttormssyni, bankastarfsmanni og umbótamanni frá Vestmannaeyjum. Hann ferðaðist um Ísland á árunum 1930 – 1945 og lagði sig fram um að taka myndir af húsakosti landsmanna sem hann taldi til merkis um óviðunandi lífsskilyrði alþýðufólks. Alls voru myndirnar sem Sigurður safnaði um 230 talsins en með svo stóru safni ljósmynda vildi hann sýna og sanna að í raun væri til stéttamismunur á Íslandi. Það var von Sigurðar að með því að gangast við þessum hluta veruleikans gæti þjóðin upprætt misrétti og jafnað kjör manna. Myndirnar, sem varðveittar eru á Þjóðskjalasafni Íslands, eru teknar á árunum um og eftir heimskreppuna miklu og veita óvenjulega og raunsæja innsýn í lífsskilyrði Íslendinga á þessum tíma.

Myndunum, er varpað af skyggnuvél á miðjuvegg gallerísins en einnig birtast þær áhorfandanum á sýningunni sem 240 blaðsíðna bókverk og má þannig skoða þær sem heild útfrá staðsetningnum og athugasemdum Sigurðar. Í sýningarrýminu er einnig að finna verk sem Unnar Örn lítur á sem einskonar neðanmálsgreinar við skyggnuverkið, sem sýningin hverfist um. Þessi verk eru öll unnin upp úr prentefni og tímaritum frá árunum 1940-1970. Þeim er ætlað að gefa innsýn í annarskonar raunveruleika en sjást á ljósmyndunum, sem þó er sprottinn af sama meiði og sú hugmyndafræði sem myndasafn Sigurðar er byggt útfrá. Á þessum forsendum fá ljósmyndir Sigurðar margrætt hlutverk sem myndbrot af aðstæðum efnaminni íslendinga en vekja jafnframt upp spurningar um brotakennda þróun byggingarlistar hérlendis, tengsl bæjarskipulags og sveitamenningar sem og sjálfsmynd þjóðar í mótun.

Unnar Örn (1974) býr og starfar í Reykjavík og Atlanta í Bandaríkjunum. Hann útskrifaðist frá Myndlista- og Handíðaskóla Íslands 1999 og lauk mastersnámi við Malmö Art Academy í Svíþjóð 2003. Unnar Örn vinnur gjarnan sýningar sínar útfrá skjölum safna og “arkífa” og tengir þannig opinbera sögu við sitt eigið yfirgripsmikla heimildasafn sem hann hefur fangað úr ólíkum áttum. Með því leggur hann sig fram um að endurspegla birtingarmyndir ýmissa hugmyndakerfa sem lögð hafa verið til grundvallar ákvarðanna í sögunni. Unnar Örn hefur valið ýmsa miðla fyrir verk sín ekki hvað síst bókverk, auk annars prentverks, innsetninga, klippimynda og langvarandi sýningarverkefna. Bókverk Unnars Arnar er í takmörkuðu upplagi og er til sölu í Gallerí Ágúst.

ENGLISH:

ON THE SPECIFIC CONTRIBUTION OF ICELAND AND ICELANDIC SOCIETY TO HISTORY OF IMPERFECTION.

In his exhibition Unnar Örn has worked with a remarkable collection of photographs, taken by the late Sigurdur Guttormsson between 1930-1945. Guttormsson wanted to shed light on the poor living conditions which the Icelandic working class had to suffer in those years and traveled around the country to document their habitations. The photographs are a rare insight into living conditions and architectural history of Iceland in the years around 1940. The photographs have not been exhibited before but Unnar Örn has created a bookwork from this archive of photographs in limited edition which is available at Gallery Agust.

Unnar Örn lives and works in Reykjavik, Iceland and he studied art at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts and at the Malmö Art Academy in Sweden. He has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Europe and the USA from 1999 and recently in Sudsudvestur, Safnasafn, Gallery Luhring Augustine and the Akureyri Art Museum. Unnar Örn teaches at the Icelandic Academy of the Arts, has received numerous honors and grants and has been on the board of The Living Art Museum in Reykjavik since 2007. He is one of the artists featured in the very new Icelandic art book Icelandic Art Today.

Unnar Örn CV

Unnar Örn – Unnar Örn

Í ágúst 2009 fagnaði Gallerí Ágúst 2ja ára starfsafmæli sínu en fyrsta sýningin opnaði í galleríinu 11. ágúst 2007. Til þess að marka upphaf þriðja starfsársins opnaði samsýning fimm listamanna laugardaginn 22. ágúst. Listamannahópurinn er fjölbreyttur og verkin sýna vel þá breidd og ferskleika sem einkennt hefur dagskrá gallerísins. Hér eru á ferðinni ungir sem þroskaðir myndlistarmenn af báðum kynjum og hafa fjögur þeirra sýnt áður hjá Gallerí Ágúst en nú verða sýnd í fyrsta skipti málverk eftir hinn japanska Hiroyuki Nakamura.

Sýningin samanstendur af nýjum listaverkum sem unnin eru í ýmsa miðla, svo sem málverk á striga, áli og tréplötum, ljósmynd og veggverk sem unnið er beint á vegg gallerísins. Áherslan á Haustsýningu Gallerís Ágústs er á glæný og fersk listaverk sem sýna framþróun og þrotlausa vinnu listamannanna. Það er einstök ánægja að sýna þá uppbyggingu og sköpunarkraft sem felst í verkunum á sýningunni, en mörg listaverkanna hafa verið sérstaklega gerð fyrir Haustsýninguna. Listamenn á Haustsýningu Gallerís Ágústs eru:

Guðrún Kristjánsdóttir
Hiroyuki Nakamura
Katrín Elvarsdóttir
Marta María Jónsdóttir
Steingrímur Eyfjörð

Nánari upplýsingar um hvern listmann er að finna hér á vefsíðunni undir Listamenn. Allar nánari upplýsingar um verk til sölu og eru veittar með ánægju hjá Gallerí Ágúst.

ENGLISH:

The Autumn exhibition marks the second anniversary of the gallery. It consists of new artwork of various media. The group of artists is diverse and the work of art shows well the latitude and fresh outlook in the gallery’s program. Exhibiting are both young and mature artists, four of which have exhibited before at the gallery but now are on view for the first time paintings by the Japanese artist Hiroyuki Nakamura. Nakamura is a young artist living and working in New York. At the Autumn Exhibition he exhibits two paintings, equally characteristic for his style. Gudrun Kristjansdottir shows a photograph from the Weather Writing series and she has created a mural for the Autumn Exhibition called Hope Reminder and is based on the Prophecy of the Völva. The poem foretells a hope that the world may rise again after apocalypse.

She sees arise
a second time
Earth from the sea,
ever-green
Water cascades
the eagle soars above,
catcher of fish
on the mountains’ sides.

Prophecy of the Völva is the first and best known poem of the Poetic Edda. It tells the story of the creation of the world and its coming end related by a Völva addressing Odin. It is one of the most important primary sources for the study of Norse mythology. Katrin Elvarsdottir exhibits a photograph called The Witness. It is a part of a series of work she is working on which is in a way in continuance with the Equivocal series she exhibited in Gallery Agust in 2008. Steingrimur Eyfjord has created paintings for the Autumn Exhibition which he calles Mandalas. The shapes in the paintings are inspired by close presence with an unborn baby. He also shows the work Drool over a dead Indian, consisting of a light-box and collage. Marta Maria exhibits geometrical acrylic paintings on canvas.

Viðtal við Sigrúnu Söndru í Morgunblaðinu 20. júlí 2009

Sýningartexti Haustsýningar

Guðrún Gunnarsdóttir opnaði einkasýningu á verkum sínum í Gallerí Ágúst laugardaginn 16 maí kl. 16. Guðrún sýnir nýja skúlptúra en hún hefur unnið að myndlist í hátt í 30 ár og hefur sýnt víða um heim. Verk hennar eru í eigu listasafnanna og ýmissa opinberra aðila. Sýningin stendur til laugardagsins 27. júní. Allar nánari upplýsingar um verkin og söluverð fást hjá galleríinu.

Að lesa á milli línanna
Sigrún Sandra Ólafsdóttir

„Every day is a new poem with new letters that become words and end up as a piece of art that is entagled by threads, knots, cuts and enormous joy.“

Guðrún Gunnarsd. Art Textiles of the World: Scandinavia, 2005

Með þræðina í hendi sér hefur Guðrún Gunnarsdóttir þróað list sína. Hún er hvað þekktust fyrir þrívíddarteikningar sínar úr vír, sem hún mótar í höndunum, gjarnan undir áhrifum náttúrunnar. Hún segir sögu hverfandi náttúru í fínlegri flóru úr köldum vír eða kraftmiklum hnyklahnoðum sem svífa um eins og í þyngdarleysi. Hún leikur sér að þrívíddinni, rýminu á milli, hinu ósagða. Skuggum og leyndarmálum. Guðrún tekst nú á við nýjan efnivið, blandar saman náttúrulegum efnum og “ónáttúrulegum”. Hún leyfir vindasömu vori að hrífa sig með og blandar hrosshárum og trjágreinum saman við málm, plast og gúmmí. Hún virkjar þannig vangaveltur áhorfandans um samspil náttúru og tækni auk þess að vekja löngun til að þreifa á verkunum og skoða í návígi. Í hinu ósagða, þess sem lesa má á milli línanna, hvílir líka tilfinning. Tilfinning um fegurð, þess sem bara er. Án yfirborðskenndar, látleysi, bara tilfinning. Hughrif.

„When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of beauty.“
Agnes Martin. Writings. 1991.

ENGLISH:

IMPRESSIONS

Gudrun Gunnarsdottir works with the thread, the line that makes a three-dimensional drawing. She creates in her hands sculptures from metal-wire, which become creatures or plants or even just ideas of a living form. Her inspiration is often nature, sometimes reminding the viewer of perishable beauty. Her delicate floral forms and strong metal wads float around a wall effortlessly like in zero gravity. Lately Gudrun has been seeking inspiration in new mediums, forms and textures and exhibits new work in Gallery Agust.

The exhibition is on until the 27th of June 2009

Guðrún Gunnarsdóttir

Umfjöllun um HUGHRIF Í Morgunblaðinu-Þóra Þórisdóttir

Guðrún Gunnarsdóttir – Guðrún Gunnarsdóttir

SHARP by ANDREA MAACK is an exhibition that leads the mind to the self-image of the individual and society, beauty, happiness, vanity, and the exaltation of pleasure, or desire and lust, however you choose to look at it.
Maack collaborated with interior/spatial designer Ingibjorg Agnes Jonsdottir and graphic designer Ármann Agnarsson in this project.

Á sýningunni sem ber heitið Málverkasýning, gefur á að líta ný málverk þeirra Magnúsar og Mörtu Maríu ásamt teikningum Mörtu. Þó verkin séu málverk á striga, abstrakt og kröftug, eru hér á ferðinni ólíkir einstaklingar sem hleypa okkur inn í sinn hugarheim, hvort um sig. Þau hefja ferðina á hugmyndum og tilfinningum en leiðin verður ólík og ferðalokin í hverju tilfelli fyrir sig eru einstök. Útkoman er ófyrirsjáaleg.

ENGLISH:

Paintings

On Saturday the 21st of March Gallery Agust opened an exhibition named Paintings by young and promising artists, Magnus Helgason and Marta Maria Jonsdottir. The exhibition consists of paintings and drawings. The exhibition is on until Saturday the 9th of May.

Marta María Jónsdóttir CV

Magnús Helgason 2009 – Magnús Helgason

Marta María Jónssdóttir 2009 – Marta M. Jónsdóttir

Athugið að hægt er að sjá sjónvarpsþáttinn Kátu maskínuna á vefnum, með viðtali við Steingrím Eyfjörð og umfjöllun um sýninguna Teikningar & skissur í Gallerí Ágúst og sýninguna Við erum hinir í Orkuveitunni. Vefslóðin er: http://skjarinn.is/einn/veftivi/kata-maskinan/860/?autostart=True

ENGLISH:

It is a great honor for Gallery Agust to present an unusual exhibition of Steingrimur Eyfjord. The show consists of drawings and sketches which span his long and successful career. Guests are invited to browse through numerous pieces from different chapters of the artist’s career. Steingrimur Eyfjord represented Iceland at the 2007 Venice Biennale with his exhibition The Golden Plover has arrived.

Steingrimur Eyfjord – Steingrimur Eyfjord

Pictures that are our daily landscapes, are equally incomprehensible as a world of emblems from a another culture, where an encyclopedia is needed for a revelation. But there are no entries about the patterns that surrounds us. The transformation of the snowforms is so quick that the generated pictures dissolve by degrees, and only one spot is left behind, dark or lucid, recessive and laughing.

The instability is casted into our senses and one more pattern-picture is added to the collection, like a record of something we don’t know what is, but we still keep it and refine upon, for if one day, it might open up a vision.

Text by: Oddny Eir Aevarsdottir

Gudrun Kristjansdottir (1950) studied at Ecole des Beaux Arts in Aix-en-Provence in South of France in the seventies. Since then she has developed the ancient technique of painting which involves layering. She has participated in numerous group shows and many private exhibitions around the world, as well as worked on projects, been on committees and received awards and grants for her art. In 2005 Gudrun received a grant from the respected Pollock-Krasner fund. Gudrun has alongside the painting, developed her art in other media such as sculpture and photographs but lately she has worked more with video and prints. It is like she paints with the video camera and uses the stills from the video for the paintings so we see an organic process, not only between different phases in the land but different point of views and reading the land, but also between different media. Gudrun explores in her art movement and changes in weather and landscapes. Also one can see in her art a play with distance and closeness which is an experiment to open up a new way for the viewer to read the landscape and read the imagery.

“Við erum stödd innandyra og horfum út. Við erum stödd utandyra og horfum inn. Kona í rauðri kápu, hjólhýsi eftir miðnætti, gul gluggatjöld – allt eru þetta vísbendingar í brotakenndri frásögn sem vekja upp spurningar frekar en að gefa svör. Í myndaröðinni Margsaga verðum við vitni að óljósum atburðum sem við höfum óvart ratað inní. Eins og óboðnir gestir í sviðsmynd sem neitar að uppljóstra hvort hún sé raunveruleg eða skálduð. Brotin raðast saman og þröngva upp á okkur margræðri atburðarrás. Hvort sem okkur líkar betur eða verr.”
Katrín Elvarsdóttir

Katrín Elvarsdóttir (1964) útskrifaðist með BFA gráðu frá Art Institute of Boston árið 1993 og hefur síðan tekið þátt í fjölda samsýninga og haldið einkasýningar í Bandaríkjunum, Rússlandi, Frakklandi og víðar. Ljósmyndabók hennar Mórar-nærvídd, unnin með tónlistarmanninum Matthíasi Hemstock, kom út hjá 12 Tónum 2005. Í bókinni sameinast draumkenndar ljósmyndir Katrínar af íslensku umhverfi og draugalegar hljóðmyndir Matthíasar. Árið 2007 hélt Katrín tvær einkasýningar á Íslandi, ,,Af þessum heimi”, í Listasafni ASí, og ,,Sporlaust” í Þjóðminjasafni Íslands. Verk Katrínar eru m.a. í eigu Listasafns Reykjavíkur, Þjóðminjasafns Íslands, Listasafns Akureyrar og Ljósmyndasafns Reykjavíkur. Katrín er jafnframt þátttakandi í samsýningunni ,,Endurkast/Reflection – íslensk samtímaljósmyndun” sem nú stendur yfir í Þjóðminjasafninu og nýlega kom út samnefnd bók með verkum frá sýningunni og viðtölum við listamennina. Katrín hefur hlotið fjölda viðurkenninga fyrir ljósmyndir sínar; 2007 var hún tilnefnd til Heiðursverðlauna Myndstefs.

Allar nánari upplýsingar um verk til sölu og verð eru veittar með ánægju hjá Gallerí Ágúst.

ENGLISH:

Equivocal

“We are inside looking out. We are outside looking in. A woman in a red coat, a mobile home after midnight, yellow curtains – these are all clues in a fragmented narrative that raises questions rather than provides answers. In the photography series “Equivocal” we witness enigmatic events that we inadvertently have taken part in. Like uninvited guests in a scenario that refuses to reveal whether it is fact or fiction. The fragments combine in multiple ways and force upon us incomplete story lines of an ambiguous nature. Whether we like it or not.”
Katrín Elvarsdóttir

Katrin Elvarsdóttir (b.1964) graduated with a BFA degree in photography from the Art Institute of Boston 1993. She has participated in numerous group shows and held several solo exhibitions in Europe and the U.S. Her book Revenants-Proximal Dimension was published by 12 tonar in 2005. In the book haunting photographs of Iceland’s abandoned countryside combine with eerie soundscapes by Icelandic musician Matthías Hemstock. Katrin had two solo exhibits in 2007, Of This World, which was held at the ASI Art Museum and Without a Trace at the National Museum of Iceland. Katrin’s photographs have gotten numerous honorary mentions and prizes. Most recently she was nominated for Icelandic Visual Arts Copyright Association 2007 Honorary Award. Her works are in the collections of Reykjavik Art Museum, National Museum of Iceland, Akureyri Art Museum and The Reykjavik Museum of Photography. Katrin lives and works in Reykjavik.

Please contact the gallery for sales inquiries.

Menningarblað Fréttablaðsins 17. ágúst 2008
Tilnefning til Deutsche Börse Photographic Prize

On the 3rd of March Sara Björnsdóttir opened her privat exhibition Intoxication. The exhibition consists of photographs and video. The work was on view at the Gallery Crystal Ball in Berlin last year and the video Salem lights was premiered at the Sequences art festival in Reykjavik last fall.

Intoxication – Sara Björnsdóttir

Fimmtudaginn 20. desember varMagnea Ásmundsdóttir með listamannaspjall kl. 20:15 í Galleríi Ágústi. Opið verður til 22:00 og boðið upp á tónlist og veitingar. Allir velkomnir.

ENGLISH:

Magnea Asmundsdottir opened her solo exhibition Á ferð in Gallerí Ágúst the 17th of November. Magnea uses various media, such as photographs, video and other to create a story, voyage, circle, context, a whole.

Að útskýra ferðalag fyrir dánum fugli

Á ferð – Magnea Ásmundsdóttir

ENGLISH:

Gallerí Ágúst participates in Sequences Art Festival, (www.sequences.is) with a program of video art. One video will be on view during each day.

Dagskrá: / Program:
Saturday 13. October at 12:00-17:00
Unnur Mjöll S. Leifsdóttir, Gösta
Let me tell you the story- when I got to know the Westside-prison. That´s a famous penitentiary, in Copenhagen, not far from City council.

Wednesday 17. October at 12:00-17:00
Ólöf Helga Helgadóttir
Enormous and unpleasant room with two windows, tedious and small with one window and wooden floor, preferably located on second floor, preferably a room that is occupied, third floor no problem.

Thursday 18. October at 12:00-17:00
Guðrún Kristjánsdóttir,Inside
When water pours down the windowpane for a whole day, I do what you never allow yourself in good weather. Imagine someone arriving on a white horse and taking you to other lands.

Friday 19. October at 12:00-17:00
You zie sook, 10yearsself
I love movies because it´s a dream, fantasy and reality…

Saturday 20. October at 12:00-17:00
Hildigunnur Birgisdóttir, I: Geftirhing :I
Hringeftirhringeftirhringeftirhringeftirhringeftirhringeftirhringeftirhringeftirhringeftirhringeftirhringefti

hlutlaus. á hreyfingu

“Uppleyst eins og yfirborð gamallar silfur gelatin filmu. Myndefnið hefur tærst upp svo eftir sitja ólíkir fletir birtu og skugga, rispur og blettir. Skuggar af skuggum og yfirlýst uppleyst brot. Myndin sem eftir stendur er ekki lengur eftirmynd einhvers úr þessum heimi heldur búin til úr eigin hráa tómi.”

September 2007
Hulda Stefánsdóttir

Febrúar 2008

Hulda Stefánsdóttir fékk nýlega viðurkenningu úr Listsjóði Guðmundu S. Kristinsdóttur en það er sjóður sem myndlistarmaðurinn Erró setti á fót í minningu frænku sinnar. Sjóðnum er ætlað að efla og styrkja listsköpun kvenna. Styrkurinn er veittur árlega og er veittur listakonu sem þykir skara fram úr.

Maí 2008

Hulda Stefánsdóttir er í hópi þeirra íslensku listamanna sem sýndu í Scandinavia House í New York á sýningunni From another shore; Recent Icelandic Art. Sýninging stóð yfir frá 2. maí – 15. ágúst 2007

Hulda Stefánsdóttir CV

Úr fjölmiðlum

Technowitch – Technowitch
Prophecy 1 þann 18. ágúst 2007

ENGLISH:

For the opening exhibition of Gallery Agust, Asdis Sif Gunnarsdottir and Rakel Bernie opened their exhibition Fenómena. The exhibition constisted of drawings, photographs, video and three dimensional work.

Text by Mariangela Capuzzo:

Fenómena

* from phenomena/phenomenon; event, marvel, miracle, prodigy, an appearance, something that can be seen, surprising development

The inaugural exhibition at Agust Art Gallery in Reykjavik, Iceland brings together the works of two distinct contemporary artists who, in their exploration of the ordinary, encounter and create the extraordinary. Rakel Bernie and Asdis Sif Gunnarsdottir act as alchemists creating narratives of magical characters and theatrical environments thus seducing the viewer. Thematically, both artists address issues that are traditionally related with the feminine such as fragility, vulnerability and identity. However, in doing so, they playfully transform these notions into tools of empowerment.

Rakel Bernie born in Argentina and working in Miami Beach shares similar sensibilities with Kenyan feminist artist Wangechi Mutu. Both women give rise to complex personalities by employing delicate materials (watercolor, ink and collage on Mylar polyester film) to create images in which translucent beauty of color and surface is combined with hybrid body-types. Whereas Mutu’s images enter the political and grotesque, Bernie’s subjects are mysterious and attractive.

Female creatures seemingly witch-like of unknown origin, dominate the scenario in Rakel’s drawing-collages. Their feline appearances and feathery accents create a seductively threatening reality, questioning the Self and the Other.

These carefully constructed characters, taken from glossy magazines and pieced together, sometimes dressed in corset, wearing training boots and bearing knives, become the artist’s alter ego. By attempting to mask the feminine vulnerability, these attractive charmers re-emerge and thus become the fenómena.

Fragments of Japanese watercolor landscapes serve as settings to these ambiguous yet magical figures. The delicate scenery becomes their protective nests while the artist’s pictorial language becomes a metaphor alluring to the psyche’s fragile nature and uncertain equilibrium. As Rakel states, “I am constantly revising memories and exploring personal anxieties. In the series “Altered States of Flora and Fauna”, the focus is on the illusion that I can create an alternative protective space.”

In the current series “Down by the Water” presented at Agust Art Gallery, Rakel continues to create metaphors that contextualize her mental processes. Her monochromatic organic constructions emerge from soft and dangling materials which she collects from her personal surroundings and creates by the process of weaving, layering and sewing. Like in Eva Hesse’s sculptures, her abstractions often suggest natural forms and human presence in their irregular and anti-architectonic compositions.

These three dimensional “drawings” are process oriented, repetitive,
organic and alive. They develop from a simple weave to form a complex and intertwined organism. Their origins lie in the artist’s observations of nature. Like the obscure and twisted roots of the Florida mangroves, her installations seem to provide shelter and stability. Her obsession with defining her identity and creating a “safe haven” is a constant thread in her work and is manifested by creating these powerful female guardians and theatrically beautiful protective niches.

Icelandic performance based artist, Asdis Sif Gunnarsdottir much like American filmmaker and artist, David Lynch, creates beautiful and complex sets to create a physical state of mind. Her video installations and performances explore the feminine psyche with a mix of fantasy, psychodelia, humor and contemporary trash.

Her installations are an excerpt from her cinematic performances. They are filled with random items such as mirrors, ribbons, glitter and many times include projections both on the walls and floor. As she notes, “I feel that there is a constant flow between performance and video art. I often bring performance into my installations, like dress up in the same colors as the work, and just lie on the floor like a ghost while the viewers walk by.”

Like a present-day Alice in Wonderland she delves into magical characters and scenarios to transport the viewer into an unknown world of nonsensical tales where innumerable non-events come together to create a world of mystical events – fenómenas.

Her narratives are aesthetically beautiful and emotionally complex. The underlying mood of these “video poems” is captured by the vibrant reds, blues and greens reflected against the dark aura of the Icelandic winter. In “Future Crash I” a medieval like sorcerer, set against a magical landscape, somberly approaches the viewer. An eerie mindscape is set by the screams of the Arctic terns and the constant movement of the wind. As if foreseeing and conveying the inevitable, she captures the viewer instilling a daunting yet magical spell.

On ocassion, she seems to have popped up from a Japanese Manga or from the Scandinavian version of heroine multi-media goddess, Lara Croft. Asdis never drifts out of character and masterfully combines the Nordic sense of melancholia with fantasy and wit as she deals with her refusal of leaving the “girl”.

In “The Performance Call Girl”, for example, every Sunday, since January 2007, Asdis sits by the computer, ready to perform, waiting for someone to call in and request one. As she states, “To me this is a totally new exhibition space. The performances I do each Sunday are different each time and made up that day as a reflection of the mood I’m in, like a video poem. The performance is one-on-one to the audience, and usually only lasts for one or two minutes.”

Her subliminal “movie sets” mask the anxious uncertainty of “growing up”; however, the titles of her works “Future Crash”, “Don’t You want to love her”, “Youth in Control/Kingdom of You”, and “Netscape Oracles” reveal Asdis’ meticulous confrontation with her feelings of vulnerability as she faces the unavoidable reality of coming of age. At that moment, the poetic aspect of the work takes over.

In effect, both artists, although at different stages in their lives, use the “poetic”, through the characters they present in their work, to create a dialogue of themselves and their journey. Without taking a particular stance, they explore the various dimensions of the “woman’s” universe to present a complex and mystical reality.

The theatrical atmosphere with all its props and masks is the ultimate platform where the feminine Fenómena unfolds and manifests itself.

Mariangela Capuzzo, Miami Beach
Independent Curator

Rakel Bernie Fenómena – Rakel Bernie

Ásdís Sif Fenómena – Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir