Iceland review - 2016, Page 90

88 ICELAND REVIEW
In the opening exhibition at new
gallery Berg Contemporary, locat-
ed at Klapparstígur 16, downtown
Reykjavík, acclaimed Icelandic artist
Finnbogi Pétursson (b. 1959) explores
sound and waves, pulling together many
of the key ideas he has developed in his
work over the past 30 years.
The centerpiece of the exhibition (pic-
tured) exemplifies this strategy: a rectan-
gular structure, filled with water, takes
up the bulk of a large room. Above it are
bright lights, reflected in the mirror-like
surface. Suddenly, you hear a heartbeat
and the smooth surface of the water stirs.
You get the feeling there is life beneath,
as circular waves start spreading from the
center. But just as you think the beast will
emerge, the movement of the waves dies
down, leaving you staring at the perfectly
even surface, lined with lights from above.
In an adjacent room, 14 small, oval
loudspeakers are arranged in a circle,
reminiscent of an irregular, handless
clock, on the wall. Sound begins to
emerge from one of them, traveling
clockwise between them, as if drawing a
circle on the wall. Instinctively, your eyes
start following the sound, circle after cir-
cle, until irregularities appear, confusing
your eyes for a moment till the sound
dies down.
On another wall, four strings are
attached to reels, one above the other,
forming straight lines, but then the
strings begin to oscillate back and forth,
driven by the reels. Simultaneously, you
hear vibration from the perpendicular
wall, where four large aluminum sheets
are moving, as if stirred by the wind.
Opposite the aluminum sheets, six
glass-covered photos adorn the wall, all
of them depicting the same surface of
water (from a work not included in the
exhibit), but each showing a different
wavelength and a different reflection
of light. Together, they form an artistic
whole.
Finally, as you exit, you notice a square
structure, made of concrete, on top of
which is a thin layer of opaque, milk-like
liquid. A metal ball silently moves about
the surface along an invisible path, circle
after circle, never moving off its destined
track.
Despite the unexpected making of
waves, be they of water or sound, you
leave the exhibit knowing you haven’t
lost your senses. Your vision and hearing,
at least, have been thoroughly checked.
The exhibition runs through May 5. *
At a new gallery in downtown Reykjavík, artist Finnbogi Pétursson is making waves. Literally.
MAKING WAVES
ART
BY VALA HAFSTAÐ. PHOTO BY PÁLL STEFÁNSSON.