STARA - 14.11.2015, Page 50

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Background and education
I began studying art at The Red
Cross Nordic United World Col-
lege, an international high school
in Norway. My art teacher there
was a huge influence on me and
pushed me a lot. Her husband
ran the Nordisk Kunstnarsenter
residence in Dalsaasen at the time
which provided us with a connec-
tion with working artists. I did my
BA degree at the art department of
Iceland Academy of the Arts and
Universität der Künste in Berlin,
and finished my MA from CalArts
in Los Angeles in 2010. Since then
I have worked independently on
various projects, exhibitions and
arts education.
What is SÍM to you? Why did you
become a member and what do
you feel is the advantage of being a
member?
In my opinion, SÍM should oper-
ate as an interest organization and
a union for visual artists. I joined
it right after graduating from the
BA program. I think the strength
of SÍM is mainly that the organi-
zation has become a representa-
tive in an official capacity and
handles the important policy work
such as pushing for arts fund-
ing and a greater focus on art in
society.
Your studio
I have a space at Mýrargata which
I use intermittently since my
studio tends to move around. My
works are mostly built on research
conducted in various places. In
that sense my studio is not a fixed
point.
A conversation with
Bjarki Bragason
Jóna Hlíf Halldórsdóttir asked Bjarki Bragason (b. 1983)
about his background, his studio and the projects he is
working on at the moment.
Past Understandings (v ide o capture) , ins t a l l at ion , v ide o, s c u lpture , Kunst h is tor i s ches Mus eum Wien ,
Ant i kens amm lung , 2015 , pro duce d wit h supp or t f rom Ku ltur Kont a kt Aust r ia , Bundeskanz leramt