Kristín Gunn­laugs­dóttir: Retrospective

Kristín is one of the most prolific and beloved local contemporary artists, who has numerous extensive exhibitions behind her and works found widely in public ownership. She has attracted attention for not being afraid to break up her visual language and methods.

Kristín Gunnlaugsdóttir has attracted attention for not being afraid to break up her visual language and methods. She draws on centuries-old traditions and creates figurative paintings based on a complex system of symbols; abstract works that are reflect the expressionism of the modern era; and embroideries that are carefully executed from quickly made model sketches, to name a few examples. The foundation of Kristín's diverse career is solid, her artistic creation reflects the search for ways to express what is difficult to put into words. Her works convey emotions, general and personal experiences.

Kristín Gunnlaugsdóttir was born in 1963 and studied art at the Art School in Akureyri and the Iceland School of Art and Handicrafts in the years 1983-88. She then went abroad and studied icon painting at the Fransescane Missionarie di María monastery in Rome, and studied at the State Academy in Florence, Italy in the years 1987-93. Kristín is the ninth artist chosen to participate in Reykjavík Art Museum's exhibition series, which examines the careers of key figures in the Icelandic art scene. Each one of them is selected for their unique contribution and specialization in their field, both in terms of media, methods and subjects. Such reviews are manifested in the selection of key works from different eras in the Kjarvalsstaðir exhibition and the publication of an exhibition catalog where the artist’s career is reviewed in the context of art history and contemporary theory. Curator is Markús Þór Andrésson

Image: Creation I, 2013