We would like to extend a huge thank you for all the collaborations, dialogues, and support throughout the year of 2022. We at the Icelandic Art Center are proud of our projects, new as well as on-going ones, such as the Icelandic Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, the Icelandic Art Prize, the World Weather Network, Borderland Poetics – exchange program and many more.
We will be back in the IAC offices from the 3rd of January ready for a new year full of adventure and growth. Here is a roundup of our year with some highlights and memorable projects from 2022.
Mark Wilson & Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir at the 2022 Icelandic Art Prize. Photo: Owen Fiene
The Icelandic Art Prize 2022 was awarded for the sixth time to artists duo Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir & Mark Wilson for their exhibition “Visitations” at Akureyri Art Museum.
The recipients of the Motivational Award were Lucky 3 for their performance “PUTI” at Sequences X Art Festival and the Honorary Award was given to an artist whose long and successful career has made a significant mark on the history of Icelandic art, Kristján Guðmundsson.
The inaugural ceremony of the Icelandic Pavilion. Photo: Galadriel Gonzalez
The Icelandic Pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia opened to the public on the 23rd of April this year. We are extremely happy with the response from both visitors and international media. It was a great honour that Perpetual Motion, Iceland’s national contribution, was mentioned in the Financial Times top list of national participations, in the article ‘Venice Biennale meets the moment with outstanding pavilions’. In general the Venice Biennale was successful as the report from the biennial stated that this year they had the highest visitor attendance in the 127-year history of the Biennale Arte. Great news as this biennale season marks the first time The Icelandic Pavilion was located at La Biennale Di Venezia, Arsenale.
Anna Júlía Friðbjörnsdóttir.
The recipient for the Künstlerhaus Bethanien residency grant in 2022/2023 is Reykjavík based artist Anna Júlía Friðbjörnsdóttir. Her work seeks to merge local histories and the politics of places with broader historical perspectives and layered references from multiple sources. Finishing her one-year residency Friðbjörnsdóttir will open an exhibition early spring 2023 in the exhibition space of Künstlerhaus Bethanien.
In response to the global climate emergency, Icelandic Art Center joined 27 arts organisations across the world to form the World Weather Network, a ground-breaking constellation of ‘weather stations’ located across the world in oceans, deserts, mountains, farmland, rainforests, observatories, lighthouses, and cities. For a year period starting on the 21 June 2022, artists and writers have been sharing ‘weather reports’ in the form of observations, stories, images and imaginings about their local weather and our shared climate, creating an archipelago of voices and viewpoints on a new global platform. We nominated Einar Falur with his daily weather reports as Iceland’s contribution to the network.
Borderland Poetics research trip to CCA. Photo: Þórhildur Tinna Sigurðardóttir
We carried on our collaborative project Borderland Poetics Research Programme – which is a knowledge-exchange network between the Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Icelandic Art Center, Rupert. CCA Estonia hosted a group of Icelandic and Lithuanian curators, art critics, producers and artists who visited Tallinn for a research and networking trip. The trip included visits to Kai center, Hoib Gallery, Tallinn Art Hall, Kumukunsti Muuseum, EKKM Tallinn, Artishok Biennial, Copper Leg Art Residency and more. Icelandic Art Center had Lukas Strolia from Vilnius, Lithuania, for one month as an assistant as a part of Borderland Poetics – assistant exchange programme.
Our podcast ‘Out There’ came back this year for a 2nd season! For this edition Þórhildur Tinna Sigurðardóttir joined Becky Forsythe in conversations with artists, curators and art professionals; opening a window into the contemporary Icelandic art scene. 1. Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir & Mark Wilson 2. Artist in Iceland Visa Action Group – Wiola Ujazdowska & Dísa 3. The Icelandic Pavilion – Sigurður Guðjónsson 4. Autarkia – Lukas Strolia take over 5. Iceland University of the Arts – Bjarki Bragason & Hanna Styrmisdóttir You can listen to all five episodes on our website, link on photo, and find us on Spotify as well.
Angela Dufresne, Combineism 2016, Verksmiðjan á Hjalteyri 2021
Selected projects supported by the Visual Art fund include: an exhibition series in Verksmiðjan á Hjalteyri, the ongoing exhibition Velvet Terrorism – Pussy Riot´s Russia in Kling & Bang gallery, artist Rúrí for preparing for a solo show in Museu Internacional de Escultura Contemporánea in Portugal, Ólafur Ólafsson & Libia Castro for the project “Deconstruction of heavy industry in Helguvík”, South Icelandic Biennale for an event and symposium series and a group exhibition curated by Kristín Helga Ríkharðsdóttir in in Kling & Bang.
