Exhibition opening – Brynhildur Þorgeirsdóttir: Natural Elements

2019 is a year of public art at Reykjavík Art Museum. To mark this, a solo exhibition by Brynhildur Þorgeirsdóttir, Natural Elements, will be opened in Ásmundarsafn on Saturday, 6 April at 16h00.

Brynhildur is the second of five artists who will show their works in a series of solo exhibitions alongside Ásmundur Sveinsson’s exhibition, Under the Same Sky. The other artists in the series are Sigurður Guðmyndsson, Jóhann Eyfells, Helgi Gíslason and Ólöf Nordal.

Reykjavík Art Museum focuses on art in public space this year. In addition to the exhibitions in Ásmundarsafn, the museum presents a new app, where information about the city’s outdoor works is shared with audio guides that can be enjoyed when walking around, cycling or playing games.

Brynhildur’s work can be found in all major museums in Iceland, as well as many museums on both sides of the Atlantic. She has received grants and awards for her work, including two grants from The Pollock Krasner Foundation.

Her works in public spaces include Landscape in Garðabær, Cliff in Leirvogur in Reykjavík, Pendulum in Menntaskólinn in Kópavogur and Visual World in Alingsås in Sweden.

Brynhildur Þorgeirsdóttir (b. 1955) studied at The Icelandic College of Art and Crafts, at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Holland and the California College of Arts and Crafts, as well as specialising in glass at Orrefors in Sweden and Pilchuck Glass School in the USA.

Ásmundur Sveinsson (1893-1982) studied sculpture in Denmark and Sweden. The exhibition Under the Same Sky presents both original works that once stood in public spaces and variations or versions related to them.

In the context of city planning, it emerges that, in the construction of new neighbourhoods, a variety of public spaces will be envisaged immediately at the planning stage. This complements the ideas of Ásmundur Sveinsson, who was concerned with bringing art to the people, so everyone has the opportunity to enjoy it. Works by Ásmundur can be found in over 20 prominent places in the city. His sculptures in public spaces are well-known to the inhabitants and the landmarks of some neighbourhoods. 

Sculptor Brynhildur Þorgeirsdóttir will give an Artist Talk on Sunday 5 May at 15h00 at Ásmundarsafn.

Curators are Sigurður Trausti Traustason, Head of Collections and Research and Yean Fee Quay, Exhibition Project Manager at Reykjavík Art Museum.

Hjálmar Sveinsson, Chairman of the board of Ásmundarsafn, will open the exhibition.