Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir & Mark Wilson win Art Prize

The Icelandic Visual Arts Council presents the Icelandic Art Prize 2022, providing support to outstanding visual artists as well as encouraging new artistic creation. The winner was announced on March 17th in Reykjavík.

The duo Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir (b. 1955) & Mark Wilson (b. 1954) are the recipients of the Art Prize 2022 for their exhibition Visitatons at Akureyri Art Museum.

The recipients of the Motivational Award 2022 are Lucky 3 for their performance PUTI at Sequences X Art Festival 2021. The work is described as a social choreography, reflecting the reality of racial roles and the hierarchy of power in the community. The group was formed in 2019 by three artists who trace their origin to the Philippines: Dýrfinna Benita Basalan (b.1992), Darren Mark (b. 1993) and Melanie Ubaldo (b. 1992). When working together, they use their heritage and the constant cultural conflicts of their lives. The performance was challenging and aggressive and left no one untouched

The Honorary Award 2022 is given to an artist whose long and successful career has made a significant mark on the history of Icelandic art. The recipient of the 2021 award is Kristján Guðmundsson (b. 1941).

An additional award for a Publication on Contemporary Art 2022 is presented to Inga S. Ragnarsdóttir and Kristín G. Guðnadóttir for their book Deiglumór: Keramík úr íslenskum leir 1930-1970 (Ceramics from Icelandic Clay). The book offers a detailed description of the activities of a few clay workshops between 1930 and 1970, when the crafting of Icelandic clay was at its peak.

The group show of the year is the ambitious international exhibition Resonance at the Factory at Hjalteyri in the north of Iceland It has long been the strength and character of the art scene in Iceland that the artists themselves have often organized ambitious international exhibition projects surrounding their own art in a wider context than otherwise would have been possible.

At the heart of the exhibition lie the works of Olga Bergmann and Anna Hallin, who notably invited interesting international artists to supplement the central character of their works.