Status Check is a project that provides an insight into the minds and hopes of ten visual artists and writers of the same generation which are at the forefront of their respective fields. The artists vary among themselves although they share the common trait of having addressed contemporary society and the experiences of young people in the early 21st century in their works. Yet, Status Check does not claim to be a mirror to society, nor a contemporary retrospective but perhaps more akin to a GIF, looping again and again and again to eternity.

 

The exhibition‘s singular position lies rather in the focus on the artists’ personal experience of their own past, present, and future, and its artistic communication. The integration of visual art and literature provides a unique opportunity to engage in a conversation on an interdisciplinary basis and creates an artistic intersection that the exhibition revolves around.

 

Status Check took place in Gerðarsafn Kópavogur Art Museum between April 2nd and May 29th. Alongside the exhibition an artist book was launched in a limited run with works by the artists and writers as well as curator texts. The artist book was designed by graphic designer Helga Dögg Ólafsdóttir and published in 300 hand-numbered copies, including a special print work by Guðlaug Mía Eyþórsdóttir.

 

"Consumerism, the boundaries between materiality and corporeality, looming climate disaster, regret, and our desire for recognition, connection with other people, and spiritual wellbeing are some of the underlying themes that drive this book and the accompanying exhibition home."

-Kristína Aðalsteinsdóttir, co-curator.

 

Curators: Kristína Aðalsteinsdóttir and Þorvaldur S. Helgason.

Artists: Auður Ómarsdóttir, Björk Viggósdóttir, Fritz Hendrik IV, Guðlaug Mía Eyþórsdóttir, Páll Haukur.

Writers: Bergur Ebbi, Fríða Ísberg, Halldór Armand, Jakub Stachowiak, Kristín Eiríksdóttir.

​

See installation photos and photos of book interior below.

​