Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.05.2019, Blaðsíða 20
‘May You Live In Interesting Times’ is
the title of the 58th Venice Biennale.
Representing Iceland is the immersive
installation ‘Chromo Sapiens’ from
Hrafnhildur Árnadóttir, aka Shoplift-
er, and curated by Birta Guðjónsdóttir.
Since the installation opened its doors
to the public on May
9th, the times in Ven-
ice have, indeed, been
interesting.
As you enter the
large-scale installa-
tion, you’re immedi-
ately entangled—and
things just get hairier
from there. You soon
find yourself in the
belly of a very hairy
beast, immersed in a world of colour.
The work speaks to the viewer on an
emotional and almost primal level; you
are engulfed by this world that takes
you through different sensorial spaces
that you might want to touch, and be
touched.
Primal Opus
T he f i rst of t he t h re e s pa ces
Hrafnhildur created is the ‘Primal
Opus,’ a dark and earthy environment
with a deep droning noise. Emerging
from the darkness, you next reach ‘As-
tral Gloria,’ a space that awakens the
senses, screaming in bright neon tones.
Here, you can lay down on a greenish
centerpiece to look up into the magenta
dome. The colours are overwhelming,
but pleasing.
From there, the colours start to fade
away into a bright white creamy pastel
delight, with hints of pink and yellow—
it’s the heavenly ‘Opium Natura,’ where
you’re invited to sit or lay down before
finally exiting the piece as a Chromo
Sapien.
Joy and ecstasy
The work is one of Hrafnhildur’s big-
gest to date, with over 100 people credit-
ed in the production. “I always dreamed
of creating a complete 360º experience,
almost like an analogue virtual reality,”
Hrafnhildur explains.
“A giant environment
that completely em-
braces you.”
The artist has suc-
ceeded, using syn-
thetic hair extensions
to create cave-like
spaces that manage
to feel natural, while
also being a synthetic
plastic world of bright
colours—like being inside the artificial
wigs of three giants.
Hrafnhildur speaks of chromo-
therapy as an aspect of the work—the
release of serotonin that can happen
when your senses are overwhelmed
with colour. The premise of the work is
transformation. The viewer enters as
a homo sapien, but leaves as a Chromo
Sapien. “You lose the sense of your own
size a bit,” says Hrafnhildur. “You have
to recalibrate yourself.”
Birta and Hrafnhildur both describe
the installation as monstrous and alive,
as a shroud; a “hamur” (fur, in English),
a cave, and a cape. Birta talks about
experiencing your own volume in the
space, describing “feelings of joy, ec-
stasy and contentment. Colours wash
over you, penetrating your body and
your eyes—they bathe you.” The thera-
peutic effect is “a neurological correla-
tion between your body and the colour
explosion you are experiencing.”
Hyper frenzy
At the opening, there was a sense of
joy and suspense in the room. People
seemed excited and stimulated as
they engaged with and navigated the
installation. It was a who’s who of the
Icelandic art and cultural scene, all
present alongside their international
colleagues.
The opening event was held in a
beautiful garden behind the Icelandic
Pavilion, and it was everything you
could wish for—bright, sunny and
perfect for all the networking and con-
versations these types of events are
designed for. The energy was further
elevated by Hyper Hyper—a music per-
formance by Kolbein Hugi and Franzis
Zahl—who released everyone’s inner
dancer with their energetic and joyful
performance.
Going HAM
This created the right level of humidity
and sweat for the legendary Icelandic
rock band HAM, who continued to set
the tone of the opening. Their name
alone has a strong correlation with
Shoplifter's hairy world, as it can mean
furs, and has relations to the words
hamskipti (metamorphosis) and hama-
gangur (going berserk).
Hrafnhildur spoke of her love for
the band. “Having this experience of
vibration in your body that stays with
you has always energised me,” she said.
“Their lyrics are humorous and they
take humour as seriously as I do—as a
life-sustaining element.”
Ham wrote a score for the installa-
tion and an anthem that was performed
during the concert and is available on
the fantastic record-cum-catalogue
that accompanies the show. For Hrafn-
hildur, the surround sound of the aural
element brings an aspect of time and
movement to the installation. The en-
vironment is no longer static, but feels
alive. “The music is meant to be felt in
your chest and your gut more than sim-
ply listened to,” she says.
Getting to Venice
Shoplifter’s piece has since been widely
reported as amongst the most exciting
at the festival. Icelandic artists have
often made a splash at the Biennale,
making the Pavilion a must-see in a
crowded festival environment.
But the process of getting there is
expensive and time-consuming for
Icelandic artists. After an open call, a
jury selects the artist to represent the
country at the Biennale. The artist is
hired—with no wages—and a minimal
wage is paid to the curator. The artist
then applies to the Artist Wage fund,
working on their installation a full six
months before the fund is dispersed,
despite having been appointed to the
job by a government body.
The heavy burden of financing Ice-
land’s participation in the Biennale is
shared by the Icelandic Art Centre, with
the expensive rent taking up a big part
of their preexisting budget.
Flexible structure
Year after year, the Icelandic Pavilion
is the biggest production of the Icelan-
dic arts community, and the stakes are
high. The effects of a country’s par-
ticipation are measurable, and most
countries at the event invest heavily in
their pavilion. The Biennale creates op-
portunities and professional connec-
tions for a wide array of people besides
the featured artist and curator.
As such, it would behoove the gov-
ernment to commit to creating a more
flexible and manageable structure
around the production. The project
calls for more long-term infrastruc-
tural planning, earlier fundraising and
increased financial commitment from
the Ministry of Education and Culture
to help create Iceland’s next body of
cutting-edge art.
The Icelandic Pavilion is, without
fail, relevant to these interesting times
we live in. In 2019, Hrafnhildur’s hairy
tentacles entangle themselves in the
consciousness of her audience, the new
breed of Chromo Sapiens who are now
spreading throughout the world. Head
to Venice if you wish to join them.
Culture
The Chromo Sapiens emerge from Shoplifter’s hairscape
Exhibition
Shoplifter’s
‘Chromo Sapiens’
opened at the
Icelandic Pavilion
at the Venice
Biennale on May
9th, and runs
throughout the
summer
Welcome to Shoplifter's hairy wonderland
“Colours wash
over you, pene-
trating your body
and your eyes...
they bathe you.”
20The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08— 2019
The artist currently known as Shoplifter (left) and her exhibition curator Birna (right)
Words & Photos:
Berglind Jóna
Hlynsdóttir
Shoplifting
in Venice