No Man's Land: Eiland Exhibition

Eiland, or No Man's Land (Non-island), is an exhibition at the Grótta that runs from 15 July to 21 August; it was scheduled to open earlier but was delayed to allow the arctic terns to nest. Grótta is in Seltjarnarnes, sometimes an island and sometimes not, thus the Eiland idea of the five artists. It's also a favourite spot among locals, both for nature walks and the golf course nearby. Grótta is also home to the beautiful lighthouse or, as Friðrik Örn Hjaltested calls Grótta: "the hidden nature pearl of Reykjavík." The other artists are Hrafnkell Sigurðsson, Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir, Ragnar Kjartansson and Haraldur Jónsson. The theme of the work is that these five individuals will be founding their own "colony" and displaying their art work.

The exhibition itself will be held in the lighthouse, surrounding houses on the "island" and outside. The artists are Haraldur Jónsson, who will be researching and experimenting with human feelings in his work in "ofnæmisverk" challenging the aesthetic view of the art space with his "ónæmis" work, or, "unsense" drawings of feelings with various light filters behind them. He will also have two sound pieces in which a young boy reads and learns about feelings for the first time in the documentation room of the lighthouse and another sound piece called Útburður, dealing with the exposure of babies, a very popular theme in Icelandic folklore.

Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir will be showing video clips of the Icelandic summer light, in juxtaposition with the Californian desert as it appears at night, and also sea sculptures that are shipwrecks from the future. Ragnar Kjartansson will be showing his drawings of the sea, in an almost erotic view of the sea and its creative and destructive capabilities. Friðrik Þór, an experienced photographer, will be exhibiting various photos of four lighthouses that can be seen from Grótta lighthouse all photographed at night during a period of three years that draw out the sharp colours of each lighthouse. And Hrafnkell Sigurðsson will be showing photos of Icelandic worker's clothes, which blur the lines between reality, body and the abstract, where the outfits are represented almost like religious icons, taken from their environment becoming something other than usually experienced.

The exhibition was originally intended to be in Snæfellsnes but officials there were not complaisant, so the exhibition was moved to Grótta, and might become an annual or biannual event. During the summer there will be surprise events and concerts there. Admission is free and make sure there is low tide when you head there so you can actually make it to the lighthouse. Check the schedule at www.reykjavik.com -mld