Painting the National Pride - 12 young artists unite for a schizophrenic exhibition in an old stable

12 young artists unite for a schizophrenic exhibition in an old stable

Artists Davíð Örn Halldórsson and Alexander Zaklynsky bring together a group of 12 artists in a diverse and highly stimulating exhibition at the Lost Horse Gallery. Set inside one of the oldest houses in downtown Reykjavík, a 19th century stable to be exact, the exhibition ‘June 17th’, is sort of a retrospective of the younger generation of Icelandic painters.

The exhibition opened with a crowded celebration on June 17, Iceland’s National Day. Davíð Örn explains that with the exhibition they wanted to show the public what the young artists are up to and also revive old traditions in the art-world that were common around mid-last-century. “At that time, it was popular to have large group-exhibitions opening on June 17, for example in Listamannaskálinn (The Artists’ Gallery, opened by The Association of Icelandic Artists in 1943). This beautiful tradition has somehow vanished. We wanted to bring it back and invite the nation to a group show on the National Day again.”

Although all the artists experiment with painting in their creations, the outcome is quite diverse. “This is a s schizophrenic exhibition. The artists are all working on such completely different things,” says Davíð Örn. Asked whether the paintings are supposed to have references to the National Day he replies: “We didn’t set out with that in mind, but it is fun to see afterwards, looking at the paintings, how the connections start to appear, these links to the national pride, whether it is in the form of animals, balloons, or something else.”

The exhibition runs until July 22. The Lost Horse Gallery is open on weekends from 13 to 19 and on weekdays from 11 to 17 or by appointment.

What: June 17 Painting Exhibition
Where: The Lost Horse Gallery, Skólastræti 1
When: June 17 – July 22
Who: Tómas Magnússon, Davíð Örn Halldórsson, Halldór Ragnarsson, Jóhanna Helga Þorkelsdóttir, Hrafnhildur Guðmundsdóttir, Guðmundur Thoroddsen, Þrándur Þórarinsson, Bergþór Morthens, Helgi Örn Pétursson, Katrín Friðriksdóttir, Alexander Zaklynsky and Aron Bergmann.