HIGH & LOW – contemporary art from Iceland

Exhibition 1 December 2018 – 17 February 2019

The exhibition features works from the 1970’s until today by eleven contemporary Icelandic artists that work in a wide range of media. The title refers to the unpredictable Icelandic weather conditions that are caused by alternating high and low pressure areas in the North Atlantic. This system of ascending and descending forces serves as the conceptual framework for the exhibition, not only to describe the formal aspects of the works but to encompass their subject matter as well. The exhibition alternates between works of a personal, political and/or poetic nature, giving multiple perspectives on Icelandic culture through the country’s history of contemporary art. Here the audience will encounter rain or shine, upheaval and decline as well as the heights and depths of art and life.

HIGH AND LOW brings together artists from different generations that all have in common interdisciplinary approach to art-making where methods from various genres merge, such as visual art, poetry and the performing arts - music, dance or theater. Participating artists: Arna Óttarsdóttir, Arnar Ásgeirsson, Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, Birgir Andrésson, Hildur Hákonardóttir, Magnús Pálsson, Sigurður Guðjónsson, Una Björg Magnúsdóttir, Örn Alexander Ámundason & Una Margrét Árnadóttir, Þóranna Dögg Björnsdóttir in collaboration with Nicolas Kunysz & the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

The exhibition is organized by The Embassy of Iceland in Copenhagen on the occasion of the Centenary of Icelandic independence and sovereignty and is curated by H.K. Rannversson, Head of Culture and Exhibitions, North Atlantic House.