Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.06.2016, Síða 45

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9 June - 6 August 2016
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Art Emerging48The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 7 — 2016
Gréta Þorkelsdóttir is a typogra-
phy nerd, feminist and this issue’s
emerging artist. She is a graphic
design graduate from the Icelandic
Art Academy and an active mem-
ber of the Reykjavík SlutWalk.

When did you start
designing?

I had been studying fine arts and
was set on becoming a painter or
something similar. When I (almost
accidentally) got into the graphic
design department in LHÍ, every-
thing changed, which was great.
Thanks to my teachers, I discov-
ered a whole new world of micro-
typography and perfectionism.

What is your creative
process?

I just make stuff. Sometimes I've
been thinking about a specific
subject, like Britney Spears, for a
long time and developing it slowly.
Other times I just create things
spontaneously, or make them be-
fore thinking about them and de-
veloping them further. My favorite
projects are those that take a few
months to create, allowing me to
add layer upon layer of details and
tinker with them for a long time. I
also sit and watch my work a lot.

What inspires you?

I started using Tumblr last year
when I moved to Brno, in the
Czech Republic. I started taking
photos on my shitty Moto G phone
of everything I saw, which helped
me notice the things around me.
I still take photos, but I post them
on Instagram now. I'm inspired by
street typography and things that
are accidentally great. Western
pop culture, K-pop, my friends and
family, posters from teen maga-
zines and unofficial books about
pop stars, the search feature on In-
stagram, the movie ‘Dude, Where's
My Car?’, Dogma and Hype Wil-
liams. I also love M.I.A. and her
RBMA lecture, Strætó, gambiarra,
libraries and more.

What is your favorite
artwork, by you and/or
another artist?

Right now, my favorite piece by
another artist is a video that Brit-
ney Spears posted on Instagram of
herself painting leaves on a can-
vas. It's amazing.
From my own work, I'd say that
my graduation project from LHÍ is
my favorite. It's a 220-page, four-
part book series on Britney, where
I went pretty deep into her history
to be able to trace exactly when
and why she started to struggle
with her image and to understand
the chain of events that led to her
nervous breakdown.

How is it being an art-
ist in Iceland?

It's great. I love how tight-knit it
is and relatively easy it is to ap-
proach. Doing small-scale pro-
ductions can however, get a bit te-
dious; having to call fifteen places
to check for a specific kind of spiral
coil, using printers that only print
on two types of paper, or needing a
few metres of elastic and the only
place that might have it in stock is
a store in Kópavogur.

Future plans?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
SHARE + MORE PICS:
gpv.is/gta
Artist Talk: Gréta
Þorkelsdóttir,
Graphic Designer
Words HREFNA BJÖRG GYLFADÓTTIR Photos ART BICNICK