Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.07.2019, Page 25

“You can listen to it, and you are
always experiencing art. The exhi-
bition is in the air. It’s everywhere.”
A barn of wonder
Staðarstaður, a tiny village in the
south of Snæfellsnes, is one of the
closest centres of ‘Nr. 3 Umhverf-
ing’ to Breiðablik. Turning onto a
small dirt road, the unassuming
town is but a few buildings and a
cemetery. In front of the largest
structure, a paper sign reads, “Art
exhibition.” Inside, a dilapidated
barn, complete with a smattering
of chickens bumbling away in the
corner greets you, but once you
climb into a side room, the exhi-
bition ‘Slitvindar’ hits you in full
force.
Soundtracked by the delicate
notes of a piano, ‘Slitvindar’ is
composed of one installation—a
glittering shower of white feath-
er-like beings suspended from
the ceiling—as well as a series of
drawings delicately adorning the
battered walls. One displays a red
chair, while a work
next to it reads,
“Þessi stól l var
víst blár,” mean-
ing, “This chair
was once blue.”
The overall effect
is heart-stopping.
Who could have known that inside
this crumbling edifice lies world-
class art?
The room, Ragnhildur explains,
is a family effort, with the instal-
lation created by Jón Sigurpálsson,
the drawings by his son, Gunnar
Jónsson, and a video installation by
his daughter, Rannveig Jónsdóttir.
The piano is actually played by his
wife too, though she’s uncredited
in the exhibition.
Vestiges of prayer
Outside, the Staðarstaður cemetery
holds the next piece of ‘Nr. 3 Umh-
verfing.’ Blink and you could miss
it, but a short ways into the grassy
bumps lies a sculpture only a few
centimetres above the ground. It
vaguely resembles a sigil or rune,
at first view, but it’s actually a com-
bination of Icelandic letters created
by priest of Staðarstaður, Arnaldur
Máni.
“Arnaldur puts this sculpture
in places where churches, prayer
houses, or just places where people
used to meet to pray used to be,”
Ragnhildur says, motioning to
the surrounding cemetery. “Now,
maybe nothing is there anymore,
but he’s researched and even some-
times knows where the altar was.”
Arnaldur’s sculptures now dot
the Snæfellsnes peninsula, mark-
ing the vestiges of Iceland’s once
widespread religion. The pieces
manage at once to
be both chilling
and heartwarm-
ing. In some loca-
tions, only grass
remains of what
was once the most
important centres
of society
But Staðarstaður is but one
centre out of 13, and these art-
ists just a few out of 71. Each is
as complicated, intriguing, and
wrenching as the Staðarstaður
pieces and one could easily spend
a weekend driving around to see
them all. “Everybody is very posi-
tive to have this big exhibition
here,” Raghhildur concludes with
a smile, getting back into the car
to hurry along to the next centre.
“Snæfellsnes is very happy right
now.”
Whiskey Cocktails, Whiskey Fligths, Whiskey Shots, Whiskey School, Happy
Hour, Draft Beer & Exterior Patio
“The exhibition
is in the air. It’s
everywhere.”
25The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 11— 2019
Who said a barn can't be a venue?
Warning, art exhibit approaching
Beach art: It's a thing
A rustic installation