STARA - 01.09.2015, Page 39

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Kristinn E. Hrafnsson, “Place for a great view but litt le im-
agination (homage to K.G.)” Beech, mahony, stainless steel
and coat. 2001. Photo RAX
on the other. The architects must have realized the
importance of the environment since the west side
of the house has large windows displaying the na-
ture of Grótta and the view of Faxaflóinn. Since it
is near impossible to compete with such a sight, the
exhibition instead works in tandem with both the
land and the sea.
The photographs of Ragnar Axelsson play a large
role here, showcasing daily life in the north of Ice-
land. On the floor is an old, worn rowboat, and a TV
screen showing Kristinn E. Hrafnsson rowing a sim-
ilar boat in and out of frame, has been placed in be-
tween the photographs. All of this is echoed by what
can be seen from the window, an Icelandic landscape
at the seaside. Kristinn has two other works in the
exhibition; a silkscreen print, and a small installa-
tion by the window where he has placed a chair with
a coat draped over the back. The work faces out and
is a humorous acknowledgement of the fact that na-
ture is the sixth artist in this exhibition.
Svava Björnsdóttir on the other hand, engages in a
dialog with the house, placing small, yellow paper
sculptures on the wall so at first glance they look like
unconnected power sockets. Ívar Valgarðsson exhib-
its an unusual watercolour; a strip of paper, 30 me-
ters long, which he has painted blue and scrunched
up into a giant ball, accompanied by a video where
he can be seen blowing ripples onto the surface
of coloured water. Indeed, water is the source of
yet another conversation in the exhibition where
last, but not least, we have Finnbogi Pétursson’s
work where he uses sound from three speakers to
cause ripples onto water which are then reflected
as dancing light on the wall. Finnbogi first exhib-
ited a similar work at the Living Art Museum in
1991 but has since developed it in various ways and
exhibited all over the world. The work is like an
ever-changing, mesmerizing painting – created by
sound, water and light – and a perfect contribution
to this reflective exhibition.
It is difficult to put up an exhibition in a house like
this, while competing with the view, but the cura-
tors and the five experienced artists have managed
to turn such a disadvantage into an advantage, thus
expanding the exhibition and the works so that
they come together in glorious harmony.Svava Björnsdóttir Solar Plexus , plaster and paper. 2015. Photo Spessi