In <Sensible Nature> at the Museum of Natural History, Ragna Róbertsdóttir and Egill Sæbjörnsson have devoted themselves to the seismologically and volcanically active landscape of Iceland - a source of inspiration, but also an aesthetic challenge of sorts, as the expectations of the viewer are often dominated by its stereotypical beauty. The artist and art collector Ragna Róbertsdóttir (*1945) uses Iceland's homely landscape and its natural materials for her installations, collages, and even to paint with. The audience is invited to watch how she uses lava stones to finish one of her <Lava Landscapes>. These are monochrome wall paintings reminiscent of serial minimalism, though simultaneously an erosion thereof, through the unique shapes and surfaces of the stones.
The multimedia artist Egill Sæbjörnsson's (*1973) <The Egg or The Hen, Us or Them> presents speaking stones which pretend to be human, discussing their profane lived realities. The use of various projections creates real life situations and discussions, allowing the viewer to perceive their own world from a new perspective. Stark objects come alive. Egill Sæbjörnsson allows us to immerse ourselves in an unknown yet familiar world, re-envisaging the infinite question of ‘what came first' in vibrant images.
Curator: Kateryna Botanova
