Karin Sander: presence in place

Many of her works draw inspiration from the country’s landscape, culture, and society.

Reykjavík Art Museum now presents a comprehensive exhibition of both new and earlier works, organized in collaboration with the Reykjavík Arts Festival. Sander’s practice often involves the participation of visitors and explores the interplay between material, time, and place. The exhbition presence in place examines notions of presence and site-specificity - geographical, bodily, and experiential. Visitors are invited to be 3D scanned and reproduced as small figurines; blank canvases placed throughout the country gather surface traces under varying conditions; and a neon sign situates viewers within Hafnarhús according to Google Earth coordinates.

Karin Sander (b.1957) is known for her conceptual approach to material and space, working with everyday objects, architecture, and digital media. Her work has been exhibited internationally at leading institutions, including the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, Kunstmuseum Winterthur, and SFMoma. In 2018, she won a competition for a public artwork in Reykjavík.