Iceland In Denmark

Press Release

Galleri Kirke Sonnerup, announced the group exhibition Iceland in Denmark, featuring eight Icelandic contemporary artists.

The exhibition was curated by Gunnar Örn and ran from April 26 to June 6, 2003. At 3 PM, Ambassador Thorsteinn Palsson delivered the opening speech.

Two years earlier, Sam Jedig from Stalke Galleri had asked Icelandic artist Gunnar Örn to curate an exhibition presenting modern Icelandic art. His task was to select artists who, in his opinion, represented the best of the contemporary Icelandic art scene. Gunnar Örn chose painters and gallery-based

artists with a natural interest in imagery and challenge. Under these conditions, he also invited Sam Jedig to participate as one of the exhibiting artists.

Diversity proved to be the most fitting term to describe Iceland in Denmarkand Icelandic contemporary art in general. This diversity was evident in the techniques employed by the artists, all of whom demonstrated a willingness to explore various methods and media. Despite apparent differences in materials and approaches compared to earlier periods, the themes and motifs remained consistent: light, color, culture, history, modernity, family, and broader topics such as the world and the universe.

One could argue that the world was shrinking as it became increasingly mediated through mass media. However, the abundance of information did not diminish the fundamental question of what it meant to be a human being here and now. Each artist in the exhibition sought, through personal engagement, to grapple with this question. The result was Iceland in Denmark.

The eight artists were Anna Líndal, Elías Hjörleifsson, Ólafur Elíasson, Ívar Valgardsson, Hallgrímur Helgason, Guðmundur Ingólfsson, Ragnar Kjartansson, and Gunnar Örn.

Opening, “Iceland in Denmark”, Stalke Galleri / Kirke Sonnerup, 2003

Exhibition “Iceland in Denmark” at Stalke Galleri, Kirke Sonnerup

A local newspaper article from May 2003 discussed the exhibition Iceland in Denmark at Stalke Galleri in Kirke Sonnerup as a significant presentation of contemporary Icelandic art. The article highlighted the exhibition’s breadth in terms of both generations and artistic expressions, as well as its use of various media such as video, photography, and installation.

Emphasis was placed on the exhibition’s thematic tension between culture and nature, tradition and modernity, and on how the artists addressed questions of identity and contemporary concerns within an international perspective. Overall, the local press described the exhibition as ambitious and successful, pointing to Stalke Galleri in Kirke Sonnerup as an important local venue for contemporary art during this period.

Outdoor terrace at Stalke Galleri, Kirke Sonnerup.

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