Reykjavík Grapevine - 22.03.2019, Blaðsíða 27

Iceland is a country that has, in a rel-
atively short span of time, become a
strong contender in the international
art scene. From the early days where
the small island dominated literature
with the Sagas, to life in modern-day
Reykjavík where large portions of the
city act as blank canvases for street
artists, it’s a society that values indi-
vidual expression and does its best to
nurture budding artists.
All it takes is one look at the raw,
untamed landscapes that Iceland has
in abundance and you will very quickly
understand. When you are surrounded
by such phenomenal nature, it’s almost
impossible not to become inspired.
A city full of sculpture
Walking through Reykjavík, you are
sure to notice the vast array of art that
the city has to offer and, in particu-
lar, you are bound to take note of its
many sculptures. From abstract pieces
like Ásmundur Sveinsson’s ‘The Face
of the Sun’—outside Reykjavík High
School—to more traditional pieces like
‘Man and Woman’ by Tove Ólafsson in
Hljómskálagarðurinn, they don't just
add visual flair to the city, they reveal
the ever-evolving story of Iceland.
One artist who is working hard to
add his own chapter to this story is
sculptor Matthías Rúnar Sigurðsson,
whose seemingly traditional style of
stone carving blends beautifully with
modernist elements to create some-
thing new and unique. Currently work-
ing in the gardens at Ásmundarsalur,
which sits next to the
Einar Jónsson Sculpture
Garden, Matthías was
only too happy to share
some details of his work.
Traditional work,
modern twist
Matthías began experi-
menting with different
materials in 2010, origi-
nally working with clay. He soon start-
ed to find deeper inspiration when he
discovered older sculptures made from
bone and stone. Soon enough, he de-
cided to try working with these mate-
rials himself. “We probably have better
tools now than they did thousands of
years ago,” says Matthías, “so I could
do this as well.”
Though he learned a variety of tech-
niques during his time at art school,
when it comes to his stone carvings,
Matthías is largely self-taught. “I have
been working exclusively with stone
since 2015,” he says. “But now I am
open to carving different materials.
It’s the whole carving thing that inter-
ests me. It doesn’t have to be stone.”
Bringing order to chaos
In his more recent work, Matthías has
moved on to an Icelandic hard rock—
similar to granite—that he sources
from Icelandic quarries. “To begin
with, I would just find
t he stones a rou nd
the city, by the sea or
maybe from building
sites,” he says. “For the
past year, I have pre-
ferred to get the hard
kind of stone and or-
ganise exactly what I
am going to make. But
recently I have been
using the softer kind
of stone that I find lying about, because
I am much quicker at working with it.”
Matthías has a notably free-flow-
ing style to his work. “Sometimes I
Culture
New Sculptures,
Old technique
Matthías Rúnar Sigurðsson’s stone sculptures have beauty at their core
Words: Sam Daniels Photos: Art Bicnick
Sculptor
Check out
Matthías’
work online at
instagram.com/
matthiasrunar/
and in real
life at the
Ásmundarsalur
museum
This sculptor will rock you. Rock you.
A cat sculpture at Ásmundarsalur. This one can't run away from your strokes
“It’s the whole
carving thing
that interests
me. It doesn’t
have to be
stone.”