
LIGHTROOM by Sigurður Guðjónsson on show at Regelbau 411
Regelbau 411 is opening the exhibition LIGHTROOM by Sigurður Guðjónsson on January 18th 2021. The exhibition presents a journey into the core of technology and its relics. Through seven video
SIGURÐUR GUÐJÓNSSON
PERPETUAL MOTION
Curator
Mónica Bello
Publication
An exhibition catalogue will be published in conjunction to the exhibition.
Press release
24.03.2021 Sigurður Guðjónsson to collaborate with Mónica Bello for the Pavilion of Iceland
For the Icelandic Pavilion’s exhibition at the 59 International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Reykjavík based contemporary artist Sigurður Guðjónsson will present multisensory sculpture Perpetual Motion. The artwork offers a poetic exploration of materiality at edge of the boundaries of perception, powerfully combining moving images and sound to activate the space and create an entrancing, meditative experience for visitors. The Icelandic Pavilion is curated by Mónica Bello and is located in the Arsenale, for the first time this year.
Sigurður Guðjónsson is best known for his striking time-based media works that often focus on man-made machinery and technical relics, investigating their enigmatic, hidden elements just beyond our field of vision. The artist experiments with camera lenses, perspective, light, and motion, amplifying and observing these forms and the transformations that take place as they interact with their environment. Perpetual Motion is staged as a split screen installation, with a six-metre-high vertical screen connected to a large-scale floor projection, that occupies most of the exhibition space. The screens depict the constant drift of metal dust, amplified and magnified through the artist’s camera lens. Visitors can immerse themselves in the movement of the abstract material, as it warps and distorts, suggesting new shapes and imagery such as the surface of an outermost planet.
The interplay of sound and vision features throughout Guðjónsson’s oeuvre. The artist uses intricate soundscapes as the foundation of his works, drawing out the acoustic properties of his visual investigations to create a stronger link to the subject matter. Perpetual Motion includes a visceral soundtrack developed by Guðjónsson and Icelandic musician Valgeir Sigurðsson, which responds to the granulated texture of the matter in the moving images using stacked electromagnetic sounds that have been manipulated via granular synthesis. The soundscape fills the Pavilion and envelops visitors as they enter the artwork, forging a deeper connection with the frequencies of the metal dust as it moves and pulsates across the screens’ surface.
This project has been realised in collaboration with Mónica Bello, the Curator of the Icelandic Pavilion. Bello holds the position of Curator and Head of Arts at the CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, fostering dialogues between artists, particle physicists and engineers at one of the world’s leading laboratories. Bello’s curatorial work focuses on the narratives in today’s techno-scientific culture and how artists instigate new enquiries around emergent phenomena.
Location
The Icelandic Pavilion is located in the Artiglierie building of the Venetian Arsenale (nearest vaporetto stop: Arsenale). For more information visit labiennale.org.
Address
Sestiere Castello, Campo della Tana 2169/F, 30122 Venice, Italy
Opening Hours
Biennale Arte 2022 will be open to the public from April 23 till November 27.
23 April to 25 September: 11 am – 7 pm. Fridays and Saturdays open until 8pm. Closed on Mondays.
27 September to 27 November: 10 am – 6 pm. Closed on Mondays
(except Monday 25 April, 30 May, 27 June, 25 July, 15 August, 5 September, 19 September, 31 October, 21 November)
Tickets
Admission tickets must be purchased to enter the Biennale sites. Information about prices and concessions available here.
Regelbau 411 is opening the exhibition LIGHTROOM by Sigurður Guðjónsson on January 18th 2021. The exhibition presents a journey into the core of technology and its relics. Through seven video
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With support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and Promote Iceland the Icelandic Art Center has signed an agreement with the Venice Biennale’s office regarding an exhibition space in
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Artist
Sigurður Guðjónsson
Curator
Mónica Bello
Soundscape
Sigurður Guðjónsson & Valgeir Sigurðsson
Press and Communications
Sutton
Commissioner
Auður Jörundsdóttir, Icelandic Art Center
Pavilion Manager
Þórhildur Tinna Sigurðardóttir
Photography
Ugo Carmeni
Video
Blair Alexander
Design
Studio Studio (Arnar Freyr Guðmundsson, Birna Geirfinnsdóttir)
Technical Management
Eidotech
Architectural Supervision
M+B studio
Web Developer
Helga Björg Kjerúlf
General enquiries
info@icelandicartcenter.is
Press enquiries
Sophie Balfour-Lynn, Sutton
Sophiebl@suttoncomms.com
Helena Zedig, Sutton
Helena@suttoncomms.com
Social Media
Galadriel González