Iceland review - 2004, Page 15

THE ARTIST
Green-eyed Gabríela Fridriksdóttir is the rising star of the Icelandic art world. The opening
of her exhibition Catharsis at Gallerí I-8 was one of the main attractions of the Reykjavík
Arts Festival in May. A bizarre, macabre ensemble of clay-covered, almost primeval bodies,
she has been described as “doing an Icelandic Matthew Barney.” Gabríela also designed the
cover for Björk’s albums Family Tree and Greatest Hits and has been selected as Iceland’s
representative at the Venice Biennale this year. She looks forward to shaking things up on
the international stage. “I have a strong need to overturn clichés and stir things up. I hate
it when things remain stagnant.”
IR In_reykjavik 11.6.2004 10:21 Page 13