Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.08.2019, Blaðsíða 36

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Rooms
Full Of
Potential
The smell of sunscreen and the taste of
weeds at Kling & Bang
Words & Photos: Berglind Jóna Hlynsdóttir
Exhibition
‘All Is Fair’ is showing until August
4th at Kling & Bang. Further info:
this.is/klingogbang
Seven promising recent graduates
come together in ‘All is Fair’, an
exhibition at the spirited Kling
& Bang gallery curated by Hekla
Dögg Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg Sigur-
jónsdóttir and Una Björg Magnús-
dóttir.
“What connects them is their
easy going attitude, and low key
installations,” says Una. “The
core of the work—which possibly
defines the spirit of the times—
matters more than their presenta-
tions. The idea of ‘the genius’ has
left.” She pauses. “Except when it
comes to Almar Steinn Atlason.
There, the artist is still very pres-
ent and approaching, as he states
in the work.”
Spikes, sunscreen
and weeds
We’re first invited to try on pairs of
delicate sandals made from used
pizza boxes and hung on spikes
reminiscent of a torture chamber.
Indriði Arnar Ingólfsson’s poetic
use of cheap, ready-made mate-
rials is reminiscent of conceptual
artists like Rivane Neuenschwan-
der and Art Provera.
Many of the works in the show
have interactive elements, and
play with our senses—such as in
the ice cream of Ieva Grigeliony-
té, which is flavoured with com-
mon roadside weeds. In ‘Scent of
Summer’ by Svanhildur Halla Har-
aldsdóttir we’re invited to handle
small soap-like
bars made from
sunscreen that
function as time
capsules of sum-
mer. We listen to
a soundtrack that
tunes us in to the
smells and envi-
rons of The Mar-
shall House and
its surroundings. There’s some-
thing strange and exciting in this
mixture.
Tiny archives and a
sailboat from Sicily
New York-based Petra Hjartardót-
tir continues this underlining of
the everyday, using a combination
of decorative metalwork with hob-
by clay, and enveloping sandbags
with velvet cushion ornamenta-
tion. There is a tiny archive of
“Personal Achievements” by Gylfi
Freeland Sigurðsson, which—
with it’s play on size—makes peo-
ple’s mundane achievements seem
monumental.
Almar Steinn Atlason has been
known as “Almar in the box” since
he spent several days nude living
in a glass box in a previous art-
work. In “The Artist Approaches”
he sails from Sicily to Reykjavík,
and we see a map of his route and
handwritten letters he mails along
the way. There’s an undertone of
art historical irony, referencing
Jan Bas Adder’s ‘In Search of the
Miraculous’—during which the
artist was lost at sea and never
found—and other travel and post-
card documentation works from
the ‘60s and ‘70s, mixed with real
sentiments. It’s an impressive
undertaking, but lacks original
framing.
A stimulus package
In “Stimulus” Sigrún Gyða Sveins-
dóttir deals with the need for en-
couragement, and the correlation
between creative recognition and
stamina. “I got a lecture at work
from a life coach deal-
ing with workplace
mora l,” Sig r ún ex-
plains. “He only used
s p o r t s m e t a p h o r s
and endlessly stated
that we needed to be a
good team. I wanted to
transfer this into the
context of the arts.“
In the work, we see
a video of a life coach, dressed in
sporting attire, urging the artist
on. Next to it a projection runs,
showing a musical ensemble and
an opera singer wearing sweat-
bands. They perform the score we
see on the wall, entitled “Tell Me
a Bit More,” and cheer frantical-
ly for each other. Having a need
for such stimulus is often looked
down upon, but has an important
role to play in enabling the artist
to push on; here, it’s both sincere
and humorous.
‘All is Fair’ has hit and miss
qualities, but the rooms are full of
potential. The lineup is exciting,
and the artists are definitely ones
to watch in the future.
Art
“I got a lecture
at work from a
life coach deal-
ing with work-
place morale.”
Young artists run wild at Kling & Bang
i8 Gallery
Tryggvagata 16
101 Reykjavík
info@i8.is
t: +354 551 3666
www.i8.is
6 June - 12 August 2019
B.INGRID OLSON
Fingered Eyed
VISIT KÓPAVOGUR
CULTURE HOUSES
AND EXPERIENCE

OUTLINE
06.04.–08.09.19
&
MENNINGARHUSIN.
K O P A V O G U R . I S
Hamraborg 4–6'Kópavogur Bus 1,(2,(4,(28,(35 & 36
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