Sólarhringur

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12/2022

group exhibition 'Jæja'

SIM, The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists)

Iceland

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Against the backdrop of a massive landscape, three humble artworks point out human presence by showing emptiness and absence as a space for possibilities and hope. The used material is volcanic ash from the Eyjafjallajökull 2010 eruption, both poisonous and fertile. The amount used for each work is a realistic estimation of the remains in kg of the artist after his supposed future cremation. The three shapes have been discreetly imposed upon the landscape at three different locations. 

The first is a circle, a  manifestation of unity and the cyclical nature of existence. The second is the mathematical symbol of an ‘empty set’: a unique set having no elements inside, yet philosophically always being ‘something’. The third are human footsteps: impressions left behind, indications of directions taken and tracks to be followed or diverted from. These visual works are located respectively in a moss-covered lava field and at two melting endings of retreating glaciers. The sculptures reflect on the temporality of mankind in the universe and the fragility of human existence in comparison to the power of Nature. Non-spectacular, small-scale ephemeral works aimed at slowly altering perception and raising awareness about our relationship to the natural world.

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This work was created for and shown at the exhibition / group show 'Jæja' at SIM (The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists) in Korpúlfsstaðir, Reykjavik, Iceland.