Sigurður Guðjónsson
Internal Space
11 April – 15 June 2025
The Einar Jónsson Sculpture Museum
Curated by: Sigurdur Trausti Traustason
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The exhibition Inner Space is inspired by the unique building Hnitbjörg, bothinside and out. Einar Jónsson, sculptor, created cohesive spaces in his museumthat open up to the viewer upon entering. The works are in the foreground, butupon closer inspection, one can discern the sculptor's deliberate craftsmanshipin the architecture. The pedestals and the interior of the building are notexempt; on the highest ones, the works become elevated and untouchable. Thedesign of the original pedestals, which still stand, bears witness to Einar'sthought regarding the overall appearance of the museum, and they havemultifaceted and practical roles. Inside the original pedestals are spaces thatEinar used for preservation and storage; there one can find a hidden world ofunfinished works, sketches, tools, and fragments. This hidden aspect invokesinterest and questions, bearing witness to what could have been.
Sigurður Guðjónsson creates his own spaceshere and opens worlds that are usually hidden by magnifying phenomena and thusshowing details that the human eye cannot otherwise perceive. He is accustomedto dealing with unique spaces in his creation, transforming and recreating themwith sound and image. In the unique world of Hnitbjörg, he takes his positionwith what is already there through a multi-voiced installation that engages indialogue with the space, the pedestals, and the building. Glass is Sigurður'smaterial this time; he magnifies broken glass and, with light, movement, andsound, creates an indeterminate visual world that each person can interpret intheir own way. There is harmony in the work, but at the same time, each unithas its unique voice. This slow transformation process is strongly emphasizedin the inner spaces, where reflection and sound create a holistic experience.Einar Jónsson's visual world, on the other hand, is characterized by figurativemotifs, where the indeterminate is the narrative of each work. The works ofboth artists require the viewer to dwell on them and consider what is inside;Hnitbjörg provides the shelter needed for this to happen. Sigurður's pedestalsreflect Einar's pedestals in a certain way, but they are open and accessible tothe viewer, while Einar Jónsson's closed pedestals keep the interesting itemsfrom his career.
Sigurður Guðjónsson (1975) is best known forhis time-based art, where the focus is directed at the inner in an enlargedimage. There he explores the material world, the function of the mechanical,and presents it with sound, light, colors, and movement. His magnificentcreations have a mesmerizing and dreamlike effect on the viewer, who cannothelp but be drawn to the artist's visual world. Sigurður Guðjónsson is one ofthe country's foremost video artists and continues to establish himself witheach project. Sigurður studied at Billedskolen in Copenhagen from 1998-1999,the Iceland Academy of the Arts from 2000-2003, and the Academy of Fine Arts inVienna in 2004. He represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale in 2022 andreceived the Icelandic Art Prize in 2018.