I鈥檝e never seen figurative electricity
Jan 18, 2014 - Apr 27, 2014
The exhibition displays works by Icelandic sculptor 脕smundur Sveinsson (1893-1982) along with new works by nine Icelandic contemporary artists. By highlighting abstract works from the later period of his career, the exhibition seeks to shed light on similarities found in works of contemporary art today.
脕smundur, one of the Grand Old Men of Icelandic art, was a pioneer in Icelandic sculpture, who has had a substantial influence on Icelandic culture. His early works are figurative and classical in form, reflecting his academic training in sculpture. But in the late 1950s he started to experiment with found materials such as scrap metal, iron and driftwood, which determined the outcome of the pieces. He also focussed on composition, form and the negative space within his works, and how they enlivened the space around; hence the work does not consist only of the material, but also of the light that plays on it.
Similar qualities are seen in the three-dimensional work of many contemporary artists: sculptures, objects and other spatial works, even large-scale installations, apply comparable methods, where material and form are the leading elements in the final outcome of the work. 脕smundur himself once remarked: 鈥淚 have taken the liberty of making a non-figurative image of electricity, because I鈥檝e never seen figurative electricity.鈥�
Artists, in addition to 脕smundur Sveinsson, include 脕slaug 脥. K. Fri冒j贸nsd贸ttir, Baldur Geir Bragason, Bj枚rk Vigg贸sd贸ttir, Hrafnhildur Halld贸rsd贸ttir, Ingunn Fj贸la Ing镁贸rsd贸ttir, Ragnar M谩r Nikul谩sson, S贸lveig Einarsd贸ttir, 脼贸r Sigur镁贸rsson and 脼ur媒 鈥� 脼ur铆冒ur R贸s Sigur镁贸rsd贸ttir.
脕smundur, one of the Grand Old Men of Icelandic art, was a pioneer in Icelandic sculpture, who has had a substantial influence on Icelandic culture. His early works are figurative and classical in form, reflecting his academic training in sculpture. But in the late 1950s he started to experiment with found materials such as scrap metal, iron and driftwood, which determined the outcome of the pieces. He also focussed on composition, form and the negative space within his works, and how they enlivened the space around; hence the work does not consist only of the material, but also of the light that plays on it.
Similar qualities are seen in the three-dimensional work of many contemporary artists: sculptures, objects and other spatial works, even large-scale installations, apply comparable methods, where material and form are the leading elements in the final outcome of the work. 脕smundur himself once remarked: 鈥淚 have taken the liberty of making a non-figurative image of electricity, because I鈥檝e never seen figurative electricity.鈥�
Artists, in addition to 脕smundur Sveinsson, include 脕slaug 脥. K. Fri冒j贸nsd贸ttir, Baldur Geir Bragason, Bj枚rk Vigg贸sd贸ttir, Hrafnhildur Halld贸rsd贸ttir, Ingunn Fj贸la Ing镁贸rsd贸ttir, Ragnar M谩r Nikul谩sson, S贸lveig Einarsd贸ttir, 脼贸r Sigur镁贸rsson and 脼ur媒 鈥� 脼ur铆冒ur R贸s Sigur镁贸rsd贸ttir.
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The exhibition displays works by Icelandic sculptor 脕smundur Sveinsson (1893-1982) along with new works by nine Icelandic contemporary artists. By highlighting abstract works from the later period of his career, the exhibition seeks to shed light on similarities found in works of contemporary art today.
脕smundur, one of the Grand Old Men of Icelandic art, was a pioneer in Icelandic sculpture, who has had a substantial influence on Icelandic culture. His early works are figurative and classical in form, reflecting his academic training in sculpture. But in the late 1950s he started to experiment with found materials such as scrap metal, iron and driftwood, which determined the outcome of the pieces. He also focussed on composition, form and the negative space within his works, and how they enlivened the space around; hence the work does not consist only of the material, but also of the light that plays on it.
Similar qualities are seen in the three-dimensional work of many contemporary artists: sculptures, objects and other spatial works, even large-scale installations, apply comparable methods, where material and form are the leading elements in the final outcome of the work. 脕smundur himself once remarked: 鈥淚 have taken the liberty of making a non-figurative image of electricity, because I鈥檝e never seen figurative electricity.鈥�
Artists, in addition to 脕smundur Sveinsson, include 脕slaug 脥. K. Fri冒j贸nsd贸ttir, Baldur Geir Bragason, Bj枚rk Vigg贸sd贸ttir, Hrafnhildur Halld贸rsd贸ttir, Ingunn Fj贸la Ing镁贸rsd贸ttir, Ragnar M谩r Nikul谩sson, S贸lveig Einarsd贸ttir, 脼贸r Sigur镁贸rsson and 脼ur媒 鈥� 脼ur铆冒ur R贸s Sigur镁贸rsd贸ttir.
脕smundur, one of the Grand Old Men of Icelandic art, was a pioneer in Icelandic sculpture, who has had a substantial influence on Icelandic culture. His early works are figurative and classical in form, reflecting his academic training in sculpture. But in the late 1950s he started to experiment with found materials such as scrap metal, iron and driftwood, which determined the outcome of the pieces. He also focussed on composition, form and the negative space within his works, and how they enlivened the space around; hence the work does not consist only of the material, but also of the light that plays on it.
Similar qualities are seen in the three-dimensional work of many contemporary artists: sculptures, objects and other spatial works, even large-scale installations, apply comparable methods, where material and form are the leading elements in the final outcome of the work. 脕smundur himself once remarked: 鈥淚 have taken the liberty of making a non-figurative image of electricity, because I鈥檝e never seen figurative electricity.鈥�
Artists, in addition to 脕smundur Sveinsson, include 脕slaug 脥. K. Fri冒j贸nsd贸ttir, Baldur Geir Bragason, Bj枚rk Vigg贸sd贸ttir, Hrafnhildur Halld贸rsd贸ttir, Ingunn Fj贸la Ing镁贸rsd贸ttir, Ragnar M谩r Nikul谩sson, S贸lveig Einarsd贸ttir, 脼贸r Sigur镁贸rsson and 脼ur媒 鈥� 脼ur铆冒ur R贸s Sigur镁贸rsd贸ttir.
