Jónsi: Flóð

Each of Jónsi's works is a comprehensive world where space, sound, light and aroma form an unbroken whole. In his exhibition, Swell, there are three works, each of which takes over its own exhibition hall in Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús. Nature is at the fore, both as subject and material. Impressions are drawn from processes such as tides and erosion, but also from breathing and the flow of the body. The works are man-made, but their effect on the audience is equivocal and multi-layered, akin to an experience of nature. They appeal to different senses and evoke a deep connection between man and environment, here and now, in a non-stop cycle. There are forces at work that are stirring beneath the surface and can erupt and spill over us with unpredictable consequences.

Jónsi, Jón Þór Birgisson (b. 1975), received international recognition at the beginning of his career as the frontman of the band Sigur Rósa. For the past two decades, he has worked with musicians, visual artists and filmmakers on works across art media. Together with his family, Jónsi has been running the perfume house Fischersund since 2017. As a visual artist, he has — among other things — held solo exhibitions at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania, The Nordic Museum in Seattle and the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. He has been living in Los Angeles, USA for the past few years.

“Flóð is a spatial, scent, and sound sculpture, my main inspiration being the ocean… and the ocean being this ominous and mysterious force playing a central part in our Icelandic lives. It’s basically about ‘the big wave,’ a wave that takes us all and destroys everything in its path. The effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, flooding, melting glaciers and intensified natural disasters, are happening all around us, and this piece is a reflection of that dire reality.” – Jónsi

Photo credit: Rafael Soldi. Image courtesy of National Nordic Museum, Seattle