STARA - 16.04.2015, Page 41

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Through its perception of reality, mankind shapes
its surroundings, finding meaning in the myriad
connections in the space between itself and reality.
But at the same time, we are absorbing the influ-
ences of the environment and the meanings others
have placed on those connections.
The first piece of Appeal that welcomes those who
walk into Listasafn Árnesinga is Icelandic Birds
(Íslenskir fuglar) by Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir and
Mark Wilson. The piece challenges the spectator to
perceive the scientific systems that man has created
in order to organize reality and categorize it; and to
understand what effect those systems can have on
our relationships to others. The Icelandic birds that
stand majestic and exalted on shelves fit the classifi-
cation system, but the Icelandic parrots do not and
are placed off to the side, they do not get a shelf and
are glued with tape to the old classification poster.
The appeal to perceive and be conscious of the
power of the western classification system echoes
throughout the works that leads the spectator on
through the exhibition space. The works of Ólöf
Nordal, Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson, and Anna
Líndal all highlight awareness of the system’s power,
leading the spectator into the middle of the exhibi-
tion space where the appeal to perceive the influ-
ence man has on nature through his systems contin-
ues. Rósa Gísladóttir and Hrafnkell Sigurðsson expose
the consequences of a system where the impact of
plastic use on the biosphere has started to raise fears
in people’s minds. Pétur Thomsen, Rúrí, and Eggert
Pétursson each call on us to pay attention to the
landscape and our relationship to it – how we con-
nect to it through our situatedness, perception,
and actions.
In the two spaces on each side of the middle, the
spectator will find on the one hand, the greater
context of human beings and their connections to
society, and on the other hand the small context
of personal connections. The first space offers a
glimpse into the mutual effect society has on the in-
dividual and the individual has on society through
the work of Gjörningarklúbburinn, Spessi, and Ósk
Vilhjálmsdóttir. In the second space, the works of
Ásthildur, Hildur Bjarnadóttir, Hildur Hákonardóttir and
Ásdís Spanó call forth reflections on the influence
of personal and emotional connections between
people, generations, and between human beings
and the landscape that oozes into their bodies and
minds. The connections between generations are
crystallized in the participation pieces by Gunndís
Ýr Finnbogadóttir and Ásthildur, where they cre-
ate spaces for the younger generation to perceive a
connection to the past through stories of the ex-
periences of the older generation, while the older
ones gain perspective into the hopes and dreams of
future generations.
Appeal creates a greater awareness about the impor-
tance of rethinking the connections between man
and nature, as well as a greater awareness about the
importance of art when it comes to sharing these
connections and creating space to perceive them
and contemplate.