Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.05.2019, Blaðsíða 32

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I Promise To
Love Myself
Always
Katrín I. Jónsdóttir Hjördísardóttir makes a
contract with the people
Words & Photos: John Rogers
Exhibition
Katrín’s “Sjálfást” will be part of the
‘Úthverfi’ group exhibition. It opens
at Mjódd on May 17th.
A loud clanking sound echoes
ominously from behind the large
metal doors of Iceland’s Sculp-
ture Association building. As I
ring the bell, I wonder what could
be happening inside. Chains rat-
tle, and tools roar. Eventually
the door opens, and the smiling,
paint-splattered face of Katrín
I. Jónsdóttir Hjördísardóttir ap-
pears, under the brim of a bright
red hat. “Come in,” she smiles.
“Welcome!”
The space is littered with large
letters made
f rom what
appears to
b e s c r a p
metal of var-
ious types.
Katrín walks
around the
space, gath-
ering them
t o g e t h e r
and lay ing
t h e m o u t
on the ground. As she adds new
letters, “Sjá” becomes “Sjálf,”
then “Sjálfá,” and, eventually
“Sjálfást”—or “self love,” in Eng-
lish.
The piece will be hung outdoors
at Mjdd, a somewhat charmless
bus interchange and shopping
area in the Reykjavík suburbs, as
part of a group exhibition called
‘Úthverfi,’ or ‘Suburbs.’ “What
makes me so excited about this
is to try and integrate art into
places where there isn’t much to
find,” says Katrín. “You blur the
line between art and everyday life.
Shopping malls should be places
to put artwork.”
A contract with yourself
Katrín is fully engaged with the
idea of artistic outreach. Like
many artists, she seems slightly
frustrated by confining her work
to objects in museums as the wid-
er world passes by in the street
outside. So, as part of the pro-
ject, she will be present at Mjódd,
standing beneath her sign and
offering passers-by a contract to
sign.

However, rather than a new home
insurance or phone agreement,
this contract is one that people
sign only with themselves. “It will
have the date, and the Sculpture
Association logo,” says Katrín. “It
says ‘I, (then their name), prom-
ise to love myself always.’ I find
this line between life and art so
fascinating. When I stand there
asking people to sign a contract
with themselves about self love,
I’ll seem like anyone else who’d be
there trying to sell them some-
thing. It’s hilarious, in a way, and
wonderful… but I’m not selling
them anything. It’s just encour-
aging self love. It’s something for
them.”
Sentimental and rough
Aside from the performances and
the opening night, the sign itself
will stand alone for the duration
of the exhibition.
“The concept is sentimental,
but the materials are rough,”
says Katrín. “Those two elements
merge together, like reality and
unreality. It’s a sign, like propa-
ganda in a way—but instead of be-
ing negative, or a warning sign,
it’s trying to integrate positivity
into this language.”
Something odd
One of many possible outcomes
is that the artwork will act as a
distortion in the neighbourhood,
turning peoples’ minds away
from day-to-day matters and to-
wards useful introspection, or
bigger questions about life.
“If we had interesting or ex-
citing or beautiful art happen-
ing along with architecture, the
landscape would bring us more
f u l f i l l m ent ,”
s ay s K a t r í n .
“It would be so
easy to turn ur-
ban places into
beautiful situa-
tions, if we put
our minds to
it—and funded
it. We have the
talented people
to make it hap-
pen. It would be
cool to see. Be-
cause art is challenging—you’re
dealing with something odd in the
surroundings.”
Katrín is excited and intrigued
by whether it will stand out from,
or merge into the urban environ-
ment. “Maybe people will see the
sign and think it’s going to be a
sex shop,” she laughs. “I really
don’t know what will happen! And
I like that.”
Art
“It would be so
easy to turn urban
places into beau-
tiful situations, if
we put our minds
to it.”
Expect Katrín soon, making art at a mall near you
i8 Gallery
Tryggvagata 16
101 Reykjavík
info@i8.is
t: +354 551 3666
www.i8.is
28 March - 25 May 2019
JANICE KERBEL
Sinkfight
VISIT KÓPAVOGUR
CULTURE HOUSES
AND EXPERIENCE

OUTLINE
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&
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