And Cut - Collage in Icelandic Art

In this research-based exhibition, the focus is on collage as a method and medium in Icelandic art during the period from the late 19th century to the present day. Collage refers to the technique of cutting and sticking paper or other materials on a two-dimensional surface. The term was first applied to works of art in the context of avant-garde movements of the early 20th century: Cubist artists, for instance, started to glue industrial and everyday materials such as newspaper into their works, thus assailing the citadel of high art. Ever since that time collage has been a manifestation and forum for artists’ avant-garde experimentalism in the exploration of new means of expression and responses to the speed and change of modern times.

Collage is by nature a fragmentary form that reflects disruption, rupture and departure from artistic tradition, and it has been a striking element of art, often in conjunction with other media, methods and techniques, in contemporary art, and also in other cultural fields. Icelandic art has not been immune from the tumult of modern times, and by exploring the role of collage in the history of modern Icelandic art and in the work of contemporary artists, insight can be gained into responses to such ferment, and how artists in Iceland have adopted innovations in artistic expression. The exhibition draws on the collection of the National Gallery of Iceland; the selection of works will aim to throw light on how collage as a method and medium reflects experiments with new forms and techniques, and how the composite structure of the works expresses new perspectives and certain societal issues. The exhibition will include works by the following artists: Guðmundur Thorsteinsson (known as Muggur), Finnur Jónsson, Nína Tryggvadóttir, Þorvaldur Skúlason, Gerður Helgadóttir, Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir Ream, Erró, Dieter Roth, Sigurjón Jóhannsson, Róska, Eyborg Guðmundsdóttir, Þórður Ben Sveinsson, Bragi Ásgeirsson, Þorvaldur Þorsteinsson, Anna Hallin, Olga Bergmann, Helgi Hjaltalín Eyjólfsson, Guðný Rósa Ingimarsdóttir, Áslaug Íris Katrín Friðjónsdóttir and Melanie Ubaldo.