Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.01.2008, Síða 30

B14 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 01 2008 | Article
What´s on? www.getrvk.com
The Living Art Museum, commonly known as Nýló,
celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. For the
past three decades the museum has been a centre
for contemporary art in Iceland. Emerging young
artists have taken their first steps there, notable
international artists have exhibited and household
names in the local art scene have put on innovative
shows, many of which are seen as turning points in
Icelandic contemporary art history and have made
Nýló an internationally acclaimed museum.
For the past 30 years, more than 2000 artists
have been involved in the museum’s programme
and Nýló’s collection of art contains more than
800 works donated by artists who have exhibited
over the years. These include Níels Hafstein, Ste-
ingrímur Eyfjörð, Steina Vasulka, Dieter Roth and
many more. This extensive collection is not only
valuable in a monetary sense but as a significant
part of Iceland’s art history from the 60s onwards.
A Year of Cleaning
When I sit down with Nýló’s chairman Nína Mag-
núsdóttir and board member Andrea Maack inside
the museum’s current location on Laugavegur 26
they explain that Nýló’s history has mostly been
preserved by word of mouth. Although there are
many documents in storage, there is no complete
record of past exhibitions and the generation of
artists that developed their art inside Nýló’s walls.
They stress how important it is to preserve this his-
tory, to save valuable art works and to make the
collection accessible to all those interested in Ice-
landic contemporary art history. That is precisely
the plan.
The 30th anniversary will be celebrated with
an overall clean-up. The museum will be trans-
formed into a laboratory where artists and schol-
ars will dedicate their time to compiling, filing and
documenting the collection and the archive. Try to
put all the puzzles together, so to speak.
“Historically, this is a very important project.
We know roughly what the collection holds but I’m
certain we will also discover plenty of surprises
along the way,” Nína says.
The museum has been an important part of
the art community since its foundation and was
among the first non-profit art organisations in the
country. Established in 1978 by a group of artists
that felt official art institutions – the National Gal-
lery of Iceland in particular – didn’t appreciate
contemporary art, the goal was to focus on experi-
mental art and to open people’s minds to new ideas
and media. The founders were part of the famous
SÚM-movement and wanted Nýló to be a fresh and
powerful platform for young artists. Their vision is
still followed and working artists have always run
the museum. It is currently funded by the City of
Reykjavík, the state and Glitnir Bank..
Nína explains that “when Nýló was founded,
no one was really dealing with Icelandic contem-
porary art,” and Nýló soon became the only insti-
tution that collected art from that period. “One of
our main goals in 2008 will be to honour this hard
work and put the collection in a safe place,” and
they’ve made a contract with The National Gal-
lery, which will store the collection. “It’s a beautiful
thing, historically, to collaborate with the National
Gallery, which today has a great understanding of
this whole struggle,” she says.
Giving Artists a Real Boost
Nýló’s past exhibitions are as diverse as they are nu-
merous and range from provocative performances
and rampageous concerts to aggressive installa-
tions that have raised many eyebrows. “Legendary
things have happened at Nýló. This was the only
place for progressive art, not only visual art but mu-
sic, theatre and poetry readings as well. Nýló was
a meeting point for artists who wanted to create
something different, and it still is,” says Nína.
One of the aims has been to support emerg-
ing artists and they want to take things even further
in the future. “By finally storing the collection and
the archive somewhere safe we can continue to
focus on exhibitions. As of 2009, we want to have
fewer exhibitions per year and instead give the art-
ists a boost by putting some funding into each pro-
duction and a possible artist fee. Nýló is supposed
to be a platform for artists who get a chance to pro-
duce grand shows they can later present abroad,”
Andrea explains.
Nýló will be bursting with energy this year
and the extensive programme features various hap-
penings. The research will not take place behind
closed doors – instead, the building will be open
to all. “Our work will be visible and everyone who
wants to take a look or share memories and ideas
is more than welcome,” they say, excited about the
vibrant year ahead and the many treasures they ex-
pect to find hidden in storage.
For more info visit www.nylo.is
Text by Steinunn Jakobsdóttir
30 Years of Contemporary Art
Photo by Ívar Brynjólfsson
The Living Art Museum
has been an important
part of the art commu-
nity since its foundation
and was among the first
non-profit art organisa-
tions in the country.