Reykjavík Grapevine


Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.03.2017, Blaðsíða 40

Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.03.2017, Blaðsíða 40
Art Find today's events in Iceland! Download our free listings app - APPENING on the Apple and Android stores Virgin Mary vs. Björk Helga Thoroddsen explores female sexuality through classical paintings in her ‘Fabularum’ exhibition Words: Joanna Smith Listastofan March 4-March 15, Wednesday-Saturday 13:00-17:00 Helga Thoroddsen’s first solo exhibition, ‘Fabularum’, is cer- tainly one to see. It will be hosted by Listastofan, a gallery that has recently received a grant from the Department of Culture and Tourism and aims to work with up-and-coming artists like Helga, fresh out of university. Helga was born in Selfoss, but received her education from Lon- don’s Camberwell College Of Arts. Her distinctive artwork celebrates female sexuality and empower- ment through bright, vibrant paint- ings. She depicts both women she knows personally and celebrities like Lady Gaga, Madonna, and—of course—Björk. Her pre-Raphaelite style harks back to a time when the female image was often depicted as holy, virginal, and maternal: a beautiful but sexually innocent figure. In an interview with Reyk- javík Fashion and Design, Helga ex- plains how her love of beauty and the past helped shape her style: “In kindergarten, I drew pictures of my mum in a black dress because I thought she looked so beautiful in it. I also distinctly remember draw- ing mermaids and superheroes… During my studies in London, I was constantly within a proxim- ity to the great works of antiquity. The National Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum and all that. It had a profound impact on my work.” The use of celebrities in lieu of the Virgin Mary or Christian an- gels, in these classical- style paintings, coun- teracts the archaic and sexist notion that women should be objects of sex- ual desire, whilst them- selves remaining pure and sexless. Take Helga’s painting of Björk. She depicts the Icelandic singer in her famous swan dress, arm raised over her head, the other behind her back with crossed fingers, breast half exposed under the swan’s head, and a suggestive, wry smile on her face. She has no doubt been sexualised, but she is complicit in her sexualisation, and has power over it: she is no object. This, when combined with the classical style of the painting, an ode to beauty in its simplest form, creates an overall sense of empowerment. This figure is beautiful, sexual, desirable, but also commanding and formidable. Helga also uses “botanical symbolism of antiquity in its modern-day manifestation.” That is, she paints modern-day women holding pomegranates and pineapples, choosing the fruit as a reflection of the woman’s indi- vidual personality, rather than as a way of representing femininity as a whole, like the apple classical painters would use to symbolise the sin of female sexuality. Her work is a true celebration of wom- en: of their individual spirit, and their right to be sexual beings. Listastofan has a reputation for being a space where artists—es- pecially young artists—can gather with the community to support and inspire one another. As Helga put it, “Lis- tastofan allowed me to connect with other creatives and meet a bunch of wonderful people from all over the place. It is a very international family.” Certainly, it’s a place where Helga’s work, in all its reimagined, experimental glory, has been accepted with open arms. One thing is for certain: Hel- ga is an artist to keep an eye on; we expect great things from her. If you want to see Helga’s work, get yourself to Listastofan by March 15. The exhibition is open from Wednesday-Saturday, 13:00-17:00. SHARE: gpv.is/ht3 “The figure is beautiful, sexual, de- sireable” & MORE VISIT KÓPAVOGUR CULTURE HOUSES AND EXPERIENCE MANY FACES OF NATURE & E N JO Y LI V E C LA SS IC A L M U SI C N át tú ru fr æ ði st of a Kó p av o g s N at ur al H is to ry M us eu m o f Kó p av o g ur Sa lu ri nn C o nc er t H al l Gerðarsafn Kópavogur Art Museum Bókasafn Kópavogs Kópavogur Public Library Sundlaug Kópavogs Kopavogur Thermal Pool Kópavogskirkja Kopavogur Church Hamraborg 4–6 Kópavogur Bus 1 & 4 Product design into the 21st century 04.03.– 23.04.2017 Case Studies Kjarvalsstaðir Flókagata 24, 105 Reykjavík Bus no. 1, 2, 6, 11, 13 Open daily 10h00–17h00 artmuseum.is OPEN 7-21 BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER T EMPL AR A SUND 3 , 101 RE Y K JAV ÍK , T EL : 5711822, W W W.BERGSSON. IS
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