Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.10.2017, Síða 40

Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir is an Icelandic
visual artist based in Berlin. She has also
worked in theatre, designing sets and cos-
tumes. Now she has an exhibition in the
Reykjavík Art Museum called ‘Garden,’
which will be up and running until Jan-
uary 14. Here are a few of her formative
influences.
I was brought up by people that knew
how to make things, mend them and
make them work. Being repeatedly
exposed to other people's intuitive
knowledge of materials gave me con-
fidence and curiosity to find my own
ways around making. I believe those
lessons in carpentry, knitting, elec-
tricity, etc., have today turned into a
multidivisional toolkit that I base my
art practice on. When it comes to nam-
ing artists or artwork that have been
influential to me, I get a bit disorient-
ed. There have been so many that have
moved me; the list is endless. This is
just a fraction of those who have influ-
enced me, and I owe them all my deep-
est gratitude..
Sólveig Aðalsteinsdóttir - Evaporated
Water Colour
Sólveig Aðalsteinsdóttir’s work—in
particular, ‘Evaporated Water Color’—
was an early influence that triggered
a sense of the impermanence of our
daily actions, and presents the power
involved in exposing materials in a vul-
nerable state.

Johannes Itten
I saw a retrospective of Johannes’s
work a few years ago and was floored
by the intention, precision and knowl-
edge that it contained. It’s difficult to
translate the experience into words,
but I couldn’t move, and tears trickled
from my eyes completely involuntarily.
I wasn't sad or happy or overcome by
any emotion. It was a moment of purely
sensing this work of art. The experi-
ence came at a crucial point for me as
I was already searching for potentials
within my two dimensional watercolor
practice. It reinforced my commitment
to and confidence in the potential of
the medium.

William Forsythe - Line Point Line
This choreographer did a wonderful
tutorial illustrating the force of body
movements in a sequence called ‘Line
Point Line.’

Tim Hawkinson - Uberorgan
This installation of a giant function-
al instrument was made with cheap
materials, and a sense of urgency and
immediacy, all of which I can relate to.
Schlemmer, Forsythe and Hawkinson
have given me insight into and infor-
mation about how the movement of
bodies of material effects and operates
in space. This was particularly valu-
able to me while I was developing an
installation practice that depends on
movement and processual treatment of
materials.

Oskar Schlemmer
Oskar’s weird sculptural bodies have
been companions for years. He inves-
tigated how bodies move in space, and
choreographed masterful scenes of
sculptural bodies navigating the cine-
matic frame. The sculptures and cos-
tumes serve as caricatures of the ac-
tions they perform. His sense of color
is unique, combining opposite and
complementary colors in a fluid and
intriguing way.

Guo Fengyi’s QuiGong
Guo Fengyi was a self-trained artist
who turned to ancient Chinese medi-
cine, and the practice of QuiGong, after
severe arthritis. Through her practice,
she developed visions that she translat-
ed into fine ink pen drawings resem-
bling bodies or figures, but abstract
overall. It was such a pleasure to meet
her work and witness how she man-
aged to make such a direct link to the
evasive visual dimension of meditation
practice without it becoming banal or
dogmatic.
Culture 40The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 19 — 2017
Eccentric Sound And
Movement In Space
A few of Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir's favourite things
MAKING OF
AN ARTIST
Words & Photo:
Anna Rún
Tryggvadóttir
Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir
gpv.is/making
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