The Icelandic Canadian - 01.04.2006, Qupperneq 20

18
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Vol. 60 #1
I
Bjork
Gudnadottir
by Freya Arnason
VOLCANA - Icelandic Panorama is a
contemporary art exhibit, featured at the
Plug-In gallery in the Winnipeg Exchange
District until February. The exhibit, curat-
ed by Kevin Kelly, showcases the art of five
female Icelandic artists. I had the pleasure
of interviewing Bjork GuSnadottir, a
young Icelandic artist whose installation
art incorporates a variety of materials
including fabrics, drawings and pho-
tographs.
Bjork developed an interest in art at an
early age, intrigued by the process of cre-
ation. Her mother and her grandmother
enjoyed knitting and sewing, which
inspired Bjork's love of fabrics.
Bjork initially studied tailoring in Paris
with the intention of working in theatre
and film, but she fell in love with the artis-
tic aspect of working with fabrics. She
applied at the Art Academy in Oslo,
Norway where she studied for two years.
Bjork finished her Masters of Fine Arts in
Northern Sweden in 1999 and has been cre-
ating art ever since. She has participated in
several group exhibitions and her art has
been featured in a number of private
shows. She recently received a one year
grant from the Icelandic Cultural Ministry
and looks forward to exploring new artistic
directions throughout the year.
This gifted artist does not design her
art with a specific plan in mind, but instead
follows instinct in the process of creation.
She prefers to create art that relates direct-
ly to the body and is, in itself, an experi-
ence. She describes her art as "a history for
the senses".
The inspiration for this particular
installation stemmed from a previous pro-
ject, commissioned by the Iceland Scouts.
Bjork was asked to create capes for their