February 23, 2019 - June 8, 2019
Nordic Impressions: Contemporary Art from Åland, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden brings together a wide array of artistic expressions—paintings, drawings, photographs, installations, films, and videos—that reflect the rich diversity and global character of Nordic art.
Nordic Impressions: Contemporary Art from Åland, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden opens at Scandinavia House on Saturday, February 23. This new exhibition brings together a wide array of artistic expressions—paintings, drawings, photographs, installations, films, and videos—that reflect the rich diversity and global character of Nordic art.
Curated by Phillips Collection Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Academic Affairs Klaus Ottmann, the exhibition features works by internationally acclaimed artists such as Olafur Eliasson, Katrín Sigurdardóttir, Ragnar Kjartansson, and Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir / Shoplifter from Iceland; Israeli-born Danish painter Tal R, Danish artist collaborative SUPERFLEX, and artists Jesper Just and Per Kirkeby; Norwegian performance and video artist Tori Wrånes and photographer Torbjørn Rødland; Finnish artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila; Swedish painter Mamma Andersson and video and mixed-media artist Nathalie Djurberg; Sámi artists Outi Pieski and Britta Marakatt-Labba; Greenlandic painter, photographer, and writer Pia Aarke; and others.
Made across a spectrum of media from locations throughout the Nordic region, the works in the exhibition each offer a different artistic experience while being tied across themes that have held a special place in Nordic culture: both historic themes such as light and darkness, the coalescence of nature and folklore, women’s rights and social liberalism; and more current subjects such as climate change, sustainability, and immigration. Drawn from a larger survey at the Phillips Collection in the fall of 2018, this exhibition comes from the work of the multi-year Nordic Cultural Initiative, a collaboration between the Phillips Collection and the Washington, D.C.-based embassies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, launched in 2014 to promote the wealth of Nordic artistic talent.
Image Gallery
Nordic Impressions features works by Olafur Eliasson, Katrín Sigurdardóttir, Ragnar Kjartansson, and Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir / Shoplifter from Iceland; Israeli-born Danish painter Tal R, Danish artist collaborative SUPERFLEX, and artists Jesper Just and Per Kirkeby; Norwegian performance and video artist Tori Wrånes and photographer Torbjørn Rødland; Finnish artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila; Swedish painter Mamma Andersson and video and mixed-media artist Nathalie Djurberg; Sámi artists Outi Pieski and Britta Marakatt-Labba; Greenlandic painter, photographer, and writer Pia Aarke; and others.
Nordic Impressions features two major new installations: Nerve Endings I-V by Icelandic artist Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir/Shoplifter, and Crossing Paths by Finnish-Sámi artist Outi Pieski. Both artists will be representing their nations at the 2019 Venice Biennale. The exhibition also includes an installation of Danish artist Poul Gernes’ Untitled (1965), featuring 16 panels of enamel on masonite.
Video projections within the gallery include Ancient Baby by Tori Wrånes (2017); Arctic Hysteria by Greenlandic artist Pia Arke (1996); and Cold by Anneè Olofsson (1999). Videos screening on a rotating schedule in the Gallery include The Bridge by Eija-Liisa Ahtila (2002/15); Water Sketches by Rita Jokiranta (2005/18); Continuous Monuments (Interpassivities) by Jesper Just (2017); The Legend of Ygg by Marthe Thorshaug (2014); Me and My Mother by Ragnar Kjartansson (2015); and The Green Island in the Red Sea by Superflex (2017).
Featured photography works include Olafur Eliasson’s The Island Series (1997); Torbjørn Rødland’s Golden Tears (Norway, 2012), and Sigurdur Gudmundsson’s Extension (1974). Paintings include Per Kirkeby’s Inferno V (1992), Tal R’s The Drawing Class (2014)Eggert Pétursson’s Untitled (2012-13), and Mamma Andersson’s Behind the Curtain (2014).
Other works include Aase Seidler Gernes Uden title (Untitled) (2013-16), four drawings of felt pen on paper; Henry Wuorila-Stenberg’s Omakura (Self Portrait), charcoal on paper, 2015; and Sami-Swedish artist Britta Marakatt-Labba’s Skymning (At Dusk), a textile embroidery, application, and textile print (2017-18).
Presentation at Scandinavia House has been funded in part by the generous support of Trond S. Jensen, Henry P. Godfrey and Ginger Schnaper, The Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York, The Consulate General of Denmark in New York, The Consulate General of Sweden in New York, and Iceland Naturally, as well as the Bonnier Family Fund for Contemporary Art, the Estate of Birgitta Tyra Dill, the F. Donald Kenney Fund for Visual Arts, and the Kronquist Mesaros Memorial Endowment Fund.
Nordic Impressions was on view February 23 through June 8, 2019 at Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave, NYC. The exhibition is now closed.
Gallery Hours
Tuesday through Saturday—12-6 PM
Wednesdays—12-7 PM
For related programming including art workshops, gallery tours, and panel discussions, please check our events calendar.
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- AlandDenmarkFinlandGreenlandIcelandNorwaySweden
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