Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2018, Side 48

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Fresh Like
Peppermint
Ásta Fanney’s new show aims to transcend
the boundaries of performance art
Words: Juliana Iluminata Wilczynski Photo: Art Bicnick
Exhibition
See Peppermint at Kling & Bang on
June 2nd, June 9th, and June 16th
Described as a “three-headed gi-
ant of sorts,” new performance
art ‘Peppermint’ is set to take
place during the highly antici-
pated Reykjavík Arts Festival in
June. Curated by Erling T.V. Klin-
genberg, Elísabet Brynhildardót-
tir and Selma Hreggviðsdóttir, it
comprises three performances,
each by a different artist.
Poet, musician and artist Ásta
Fanney Sigurðardóttir is one of
the three. When she was invited
to take part in the series, which
also includes works by Hannes
Lárusson and Florence Lam, Ásta
accepted despite not knowing
them—but she quickly grew to see
the connections.
“Hannes and Florence have this
kind of element that nobody else
is doing what they do,” says Ásta.
“Both of them have a very specific
aesthetic. They have a very special
energy about their art. Erling said
we reminded him of peppermint!”
Art detectives
The concept behind the project
seems intentionally elusive. The
idea was to simply do something
fresh—and that’s exactly what it
feels like. “My part of ‘Peppermint’
is called “Lunar-10.13
& The Riddle of No-
rensa,” says Ásta. “It’s
a slow soap musical
mystery on an art
space station. The
art objects are for-
mulated viewpoints,
the performers are
the detectives, and
the soundtrack is a
clue for the future of
this live movie we call
life.”
What the show will evolve into
is unknown even to the artists
themselves—a position that the
prolific multi-disciplinarian is
more than comfortable with. “I do
poetry festivals, and art festivals,
and music festivals, and maybe I
switch to doing poetry at a music
festival, and then I’m doing all of
these things at once,” says Ásta. “I
always thought that you had to put
art in boxes so people can under-
stand it—we live in a society where
we have to label everything. But
now I just do whatever I feel like.
Fuck the rest!”
Dreams, time, and
reality
A big part of Ásta’s contribu-
tion relies on her bizarre dreams,
which have been a source of inspi-
ration. “I had a dream where I was
running through an underground
tunnel at full speed,” she recounts.
“I was opening a lot of cages, and
there was a kangaroo, and some
mice, all kinds of animals. When I
reflected on the dream afterwards,
I thought: maybe this is me, trying
not to categorise everything. So,
I think this is part of the perfor-
mance.”
Ásta has the wisdom of a
600-year-old elf and the energetic
curiosity of a six-year-
old child. One of the
things that intrigues
her most—and also
serves as a source of
inspiration for her
work—is the human
brain’s perception
and relationship with
time and reality. She
explains a phenom-
enon known as chro-
nostasis, when the
brain sometimes fills
in a fake memory in gaps of time
that one experiences, when for ex-
ample, looking at a clock. “It’s our
perception,” Ásta concludes. “Our
brain always wants to make sense
of everything—and it’s just like we
are actually living in The Matrix.”
A turning point
At ‘Peppermint,’ Ásta will be par-
tially unveiling just that—the part
of herself that she’s still learning
about. “I think I’m at a turning
point actually in my career,” she
concludes. “I’m seeing beauty in
things that are not deteriorating
at once. That’s the thing. It’s so ex-
citing. I don’t know what it is, but
it’s going to be a great surprise!”
Gerðarsafn Kópavogur Art Museum
Hamraborg 4 200 Kópavogur www.gerdarsafn.is
Gerður:
Retrospective
31.05.–
7.10.2018
“Our brain al-
ways wants to
make sense of
everything—
and it’s just
like we are
actually living
in The Matrix.”
Nobody knows what to expect at Peppermint, except freshness
i8 Gallery
Tryggvagata 16
101 Reykjavík
info@i8.is
t: +354 551 3666
www.i8.is
Divisions and Reflections
IGNACIO URIARTE
31 May - 4 August 2018