Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.06.2019, Blaðsíða 25

the armoured figure and the one that
was very fragile in its nakedness and
vulnerability, but at the same time, I
had installed the naked figures to be
standing strong against the armoured
one.” She pauses. “It was interesting to
see that people commented on that.”
Androgyny sparks
Steinunn’s newest installation, enti-
tled ‘Trophies,’ is currently visible on
the roof of the Icelandic Ministry of
Finance in Arnarhóll, where it is part
of the Reykjavík Museum of Art exhibi-
tion program. It was originally created
for the Museum of Military History in
Dresden, Germany. Trophies are an-
tique sculptures that were originally
constructed to stand on top of build-
ings. Steinunn’s installation presents
a number of ambiguous, genderless
beings, which decorate the roof of the
government building like trophies.
“In Germany, it was very different,”
Steinunn explains. “Inside the mu-
seum, there was a show called ‘Gen-
der and Violence,’ and because of the
androgyny of my works we thought it
would be interesting to ask the viewer
questions about this theme before en-
tering the museum,” she says, pausing
to present a photo of the installation.
The museum itself is grandly decorat-
ed, full of ornate carvings and trinkets,
so Steinunn’s stark figures stand in
direct contrast to its finery.
“These figures were put in places
where old trophies used to be, those
that were connected to war and vic-
tory, so these were replacing the war
figures and showing a very different
sensibility,” she says. “One that’s more
peaceful.”
From one world
to another
Moving the piece to a location like Ar-
narhóll gives the installation a new di-
mension. “When you make something
for a specific place, and then it’s taken
somewhere else, it takes on a differ-
ent connotation,” Steinunn explains.
“The Ministry of Finance is a very well
known old building, and [changing it]
is a big intervention; but at the same
time, we were thinking that people get
so used to their environment that they
don’t notice things, so to do this to an
old building that everybody knows but
has forgotten about, it activates the
public and makes them get reacquaint-
ed with this classical old building.”
“It’s so interesting to move from one
world to another and make a bigger or
different idea,” she continues. “I also
think that the placement in Reykjavík
in Arnarhóll, you see, is interesting.
They are standing on an old centre of
time looking out over these new build-
ings by Harpa.” The sculptures stand
on the ancient, she reiterates, and look
towards the new.
But, Steinunn emphasises, the two
buildings—one a war museum, and
the other a government outpost—do
share a commonality. She finishes with
one more simple statement: “Both are
places of power.”
Whiskey Cocktails, Whiskey Fligths, Whiskey Shots, Whiskey School, Happy
Hour, Draft Beer & Exterior Patio
25The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 10— 2019