Artists
Daníel Björnsson, Ragnar Helgi Ólafsson, Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir, Anna Hrund Másdóttir, Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir, Magnús Sigurðarson
Study of the Object
The most beautiful is the object
which does not exist
it does not serve to carry water
or to preserve the ashes of a hero
it was not cradled by Antigone
nor was a rat drowned in it
it has no hole
and is entirely open
seen
from every side
which means
hardly anticipated
the hairs
of all its lines
join
in one stream of light
neither
blindness
nor
death
can take away the object
which does not exist
—Zbigniew Herbert, 1961
Anna Hrund Másdóttir
Anna Hrund Másdóttir was born 1981 in Reykjavík, Iceland and completed a bachelors degree in mathematics before graduating from the Fine Art department of the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2010. Trying to make sense of it all through shapes, colors and endless repetitions, hunting for wasted miracles and hoping for the best, she transforms common material into sculptural paintings. Along with her personal artwork she has done collaborative performances and various projects, for instance establishing a temporary school that focused on sensory experiences and intuitional learning, having a weeklong sleepover at MoMA PS1’s Colony and fortune-telling in the Calfornian desert. Alongside her artistic practice she teaches art and math, and runs the artist run gallery Kling & Bang.
Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir
Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir lives and works in Reykjavík, and studied at UCLA and at the School of Visual Arts, New York. She has been exploring the psychedelic vastness of the feminine mind in her installations, performances, videos and writing. Her works vary from large video installations and performances, to spoken word poetry and photography. Gunnarsdóttir is the founder of the Reykjavík-based Theater of Artists, and has organized soiree happenings since 2003. In addition to producing videos and art works for Icelandic pop musicians such as Trabant and Ólöf Arnalds, she also created the feature film High Reality (2009). Through her video and Internet work such as the Skype Performances (2007), Gunnarsdóttir flirts with the notion that our persistent enchantment with technology finds its roots in religious or transcendental imagination.
Daníel Björnsson
Daníel Björnsson (b. 1974) took his BA degree in visual arts at the Iceland Academy of teh Arts in 2002 and has since been an active exhibitor in Iceland and abroad. In recent years he has contributed to the vigorous work of young artists in Reykjavik, both as a performer and a moving force in association with the gallery Kling & Bang.
Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir
Ingibjörg Sigurjónsdóttir (born 1985 in Reykjavík, Iceland) completed a BA from the Fine Art department of the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2010 and has since done exhibitions, performances and projects in Iceland and abroad. Reflections and mirages from commonplace sparkling materials that momentarily expose the imperceptible, occur frequently in a relentless quest for intangible beauty in her sculptures, installations and images. Alongside her artistic practice she is a board member at artist run Kling & Bang gallery and writes regular columns for the Scandinavian KUNSTforum and the Icelandic Art Center. She lives and works in Reykjavík, getting the two all mixed up.
Ragnar Helgi Olafsson
Ragnar Helgi Olafsson lives and works in Reykjavik and studied philosophy at the University of Iceland from 1991-1997. Moving to France, he graduated from l’Ecole des Beaux Arts d’Aix-en-Provence in 2001. Ragnar has exhibited at KIASMA:The Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Hafnarhus: Reykjavik Art Museum, Museet for Samtidskunst in Denmark, La Villette Numerique in Paris, STEIM in Amsterdam and Möbius International in Montréal. His work has been covered in newspapers such as Liberation (France) as well as catalouges and periodicals such as Art-Nord (France) and Art and Design (Shanghai). From 2004-2006 Ragnar Helgi was a part of Klink & Bank artist base and in 2006 he was one of the founders of ListamannaKomplex. Ragnar Helgi has received various honours for his work such as the Prix Möbius International, awarded to him in Montréal.
Magnus Sigurdarson
Magnus Sigurdarson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1966 and currently (since 2005) lives and works in Miami, Florida. He attended The Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts, Reykjavik, Iceland (i 992, BFA in Mixed Media) and Mason Gross School ofthe Arts, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey (1997, MFA). He is a Fulbright Scholarship Recipient with multiple grants and awards on his Resume. His works are included in the collections of; Collezione La Gaia, Busca, Italy, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, The Icelandic National Gallery, Reykjavik, and the private collections of Emmanuel Javouge, Miami, Debra and Dennis Scholl, Miami Beach to name but a few, Sigurdarson is represented by Emerson Dorsch Gallery, Miami and works with Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland.