ICELANDIC ARTISTS DEBUT AT BAKEHOUSE ARTS COMPLEX , November 17th – January 21st, 2018 in the Audrey Love Gallery
Sagas on Thin Ice
Opening Reception: Thursday, November 17th, 7-10pm
Featuring: Anna Líndal; Kjánska Collective; Rúrí; Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir & Mark Wilson; Ósk Vihjálmsdóttir
Miami, FL - Six Icelandic artists make their debut at the Bakehouse Arts Complex in a group exhibition opening November 17 at the Bakehouse Arts Complex. Curated by Ombretta Agró Andruff, Sagas on Thin Ice features Icelandic artists and collectives who employ a broad range of media to comment, highlight and take an activist stance against those who threaten the stunning yet fragile Icelandic ecosystems, and document how climate change, often fueled by human actions driven by economic interests, is impacting the natural environment, with potentially disastrous consequences.
Inspired by the topography of lakes and glaciers, as well as the impact of climate change and Iceland’s sustainability efforts, the exhibition showcases contemporary artists whose creations address the significant issues of our time. “In the wake of one of the worst Atlantic hurricane seasons on record, we are so pleased to offer a different context to the climate change dialogue to our audiences through this inspired work,” stated Bibi Baloyra, Bakehouse Executive Director.
Anna Líndal and Ósk Vihjálmsdóttir have explored Iceland’s and Greenland’s highlands and ice caps over the course of several years, often in collaboration with climate change scientists and experts, leading to a variety of projects exhibited at home and internationally. The melting ice caps are the starting point of Rúrí’s Future Cartographies, maps created in collaboration with geographer Gunnlaugur M. Einarsson as the result of an investigation of predicted topologies of coastal regions around the world threatened to disappear due to sea level rise.
Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir & Mark Wilson conduct their interdisciplinary and collaborative practice from bases in the north of England and Iceland. With a strong research grounding, their often socially-engaged projects explore contemporary relationships between human and non-human animals in the contexts of history, culture and the environment. They present here photographs from the nanoq: flat out and bluesome series and Matrix, three sculptures based on polar bear maternity dens.
The Kjánska Collective, operating from 2006 to 2009 in Iceland, presents The Ground-Breaking Tour 2008, a series of absurd performative acts conducted around the country addressing the rhetoric of corporate greed, masked as the ‘savior’ of the decaying countryside, and its potentially devastating impact on the environment, documented with the videos and photographs featured in the exhibition.
Lastly, an installation by Magnus Sigurdsson, the sole Miami-based Icelandic artist who has called South Florida home since 2005, will be presented in the reception project space, courtesy of Emerson Dorsch Gallery.
“As the Program Director of the ARTSail residency and research program, whose mission is to ‘offer creative solutions that increase community awareness about environmental matters,’ I could not help but being fascinated by how artists in the North are addressing issues that I’ve been preoccupied with since founding ARTSail in South Florida,” said Ms. Agró Andruff.
The exhibition opening reception is Thursday, November 17th. A private closing reception made possible in part by the Embassy of Iceland will feature a panel discussion with artists Anna Líndal and Steinunn Gunnlaugsdóttir from Kjánska Collective, as well as Jane Gilbert, Chief Resilience Officer for the City of Miami.
About the Bakehouse
Founded in 1985 by artists for artists, the Bakehouse provides coveted studio residencies, infrastructure, and community to enable the highest level of artistic creativity, development, and collaboration for the most promising talent. Housed in a 33,000 ft² repurposed 1920s commercial bakery, the Bakehouse provides affordable studio space for dozens of professional visual artists, two actively programmed exhibition galleries, comprehensive educational programs, and artist facilities. More information at www.bacfl.org.