Artist Talk: Páll Ivan frá Eiðum

The prolific Páll Ivan frá Eiðum makes paintings and music, characterised alike by his unique wit. His colourful paintings vary from life-sized to hand-sized and can be purchased personally from his Facebook page. Páll’s art is playful and often triggers laughter; with songs such as “Tinder on the Toilet” he has found a way to turn his feelings into interesting art.

When did you start creating art/music?

I have been a musician since I can remember but as a composer I make a lot of visual stuff, experiments with animated notation and performance art. I really started painting and drawing in 2012 during my paternity leave and I haven’t stopped since.

What is your creative process?

It usually begins with boredom and horniness, which leads to extended sitting and ends with some form of output—music, visual art or ejaculation. I try not to repeat myself.

What inspires you?

The body, the paint, the pens, the computer, sexuality, failure, innocence, friendship, strangeness, boredom, mental illness and the lack of humour. My super, amazing, wonderful, talented friends and all the members of SLÁTUR (association of artistically aggressive composers from around Reykjavík: slatur.is/) are also very very inspiring.

What is your favourite artwork, by you and/or another artist?

I don’t have a favourite artwork but things I would never do, things that bore me, things that I find stupid and irritating and things I don’t understand tend to have the biggest impact on me and are a great source of inspiration.

How is it being an artist in Iceland?

Pretty great. The community of artists is good and friendly and everybody seems interested in what everybody else is doing. There are shows and exhibitions constantly opening. People seem to love working together, young and old, and there is a lot of international traffic and attention. I may be completely wrong though.

What do you wish to achieve through your art?

Orgasm and enlightenment.

Future plans?

I have never liked dance or poetry so these two art forms are next on my agenda. I will try to understand and master them in the next five years or so. I also have a science fetish so my dream is to become a scientist, explore “the measurement problem” in quantum physics and find happiness (or at least reduce my misery).