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Contemporary Art galleries in Iceland (part I) - Giuseppe Alletto visual artist

Iceland – the land of fire and ice, cascading waterfalls, black sand beaches and vast, volcanic plains. Perched right on the fault line between Europe and North America, Iceland is a living wilderness that marks a totally unique setting for its inhabitants and visitors. The landscape alone has been enough to inspire myths and sagas that have been passed down through generations for over 800 years, but alongside its rich folkloric traditions inhabits a growing contemporary art scene that is still finding its feet in the 21st century.

For a country that only claimed its full independence some 75 years ago, defining Icelandic culture in the context of the modern international art landscape has proved enigmatic. While Icelandic music has safely crossed the Atlantic and been received to critical acclaim, the country’s visual arts scene is lesser known. This absence of resources peaked writer Sarah Schug’s interest in the subject and prompted the launch of her latest project, a compendium entitled “Isle of Art” that seeks to remedy the lack of representation about contemporary Icelandic art.


"We’re quite far from the center here, in a residential area mainly consisting of apartment blocks. Especially because the art community in Iceland can feel a bit like a bubble, it’s a big step to have a space in this area. People from the neighborhood pass by and ask questions, and we reach those who might otherwise not come into contact with contemporary art at all." - Hjördís Gréta Gudmundsdottir and Hillevi Cecilia Högström of RÝMD. Photo by Pauline Mikó

The German-born and Brussels-based writer first encountered the magic and mystery of Iceland as a child, and “fell in love with the horses and turf houses and waterfalls” depicted in the Icelandic children’s television series “Nonni & Manni” based on the books by author Jón Sveinsson. After several visits, the author spent an extended period of time travelling around the island in 2017, during which she held a series of interviews with artists, gallerists and curators to find out how creative initiatives are thriving even in the most unlikely of settings.

The result of this research was “Isle of Art”, a directory and visual guide that pays homage to all the quirks and beauty of Icelandic culture and investigates the country’s integration into the international art world. The book, which features artists like Ragnar Kjartansson and Rúrí, follows Schug’s journey from the capital of Reykjavík to the far eastern shores of Seyðisförður, with stops at some of the most sparsely populated areas in the country along the way.

“The idea wasn’t to show “the best” artists,” Schug tells SLEEK, “but to paint a full picture of the art scene as a whole by bringing together a rich canon of different voices and perspectives from inside the Icelandic art community, a kind of mosaic if you will.”


"When I was growing up as an artist, I would be doing some performance in some basement, and then Björk would show up - it just gives you a lot of confidence, even though you’re in a small town at the end of the world." - Ragnar Kjartansson. Photo by Lilja Birgisdottir


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Hi guys! I decided to make videos in English language and not only in Italian, because I’d like to talk about art to a lot of people coming from many different countries.

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I work as an artist with three galleries in Italy (Spaziotemporaneo gallery in Milan, Weber e Weber gallery in Turin and La Fonderia in Florence, with a gallery in Barcelona (Spain) and with another gallery in Lisboa (Portugal).

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