A group exhibition in Reykjavík. Jón Sigurdsson is the undisputed hero of Iceland. His visions freed Iceland from the Danish crown that lead to the country’s independence in 1944. But is the nation really independent? Influenced by the circumstances at each time I have been doing more artworks using this old picture.
An installation in an old prison in Reykjavík. The piece shows us the everyday of the prisoner in cell 4.
“Finnur Arnar’s cell was not typical in comparison to the others because he took a strictly realistic, or objective, approach to the surroundings. In fact, it looked exactly like the cell of an inmate that had just left a moment before — the title of the work was “Back in a Moment.” Cigarette stubs in the ashtray along with a lot of clutter on the small table, bedclothes all in a tangle, a black bag of unwashed clothes under the bed, a small TV still switched on, a drawing of a young girl sent to her daddy, a letter just opened — every small detail a reference to the mind-numbing isolation. Finnur Arnar recently had a solo exhibition at the Living Art Museum where he took a similar approach, a strictly factual reference to the lives of specific individuals; factual listings of the main events of their lives, a CV of everyday existence; enlarged photocopies of pay-cheques, as if they were a defiant gesture: “This is who I am!”” (Gunnar J. Árnason in the Nordic art magazine Siksi, winter 1996.)
An installation in the Cultural Center of Grindavík. This installation tells a story about an electrician. He is just minding his job. On the ladder he has attached a note, stating: “Went shopping – be back soon.” On top the oven is a travel guide from Icelandair. The electrician is dreaming about the summer vacation with his family
Eight governmental salary slips (80cmx60cm)
Five office workes CV’s
Three “be back soon” works. Droped upstairs, droped by the exhibition, droped to fetch a lightbulb.
Family car
My car and my family had been living together for a long time when I put it up for sale in a group show of young artists at Kjarvalsstadir. Gathering from the various things left inside the car the viewer could get a good idea about its owners
I did this installation with a friend of mine, the composer Thorkell Atlason. The pictures show a kitchen in an old defunct house. In one of them, a young boy can be seen hurriedly eating his meal to get back out again to play. The radio is playing music composed by Thorkell.
