KÜNSTLERHAUS

BETHANIEN

Künstler*innen

Styrmir Örn Guðmundsson

Iceland

Performance during Reykjavik Dance Festival, Reykjavik Art Museum, 2018

Styrmir Örn Guðmundsson work does not fall into one particular category. He ranges between performance, drawing, music and sculpture with a love for the absurd. This doesnt mean any obsessive passion for the ridiculous, nonsensical or the odd, but moreso derives from a tender and caring attitude: he takes care of the absurd, he helps it to develop, he gives it a place alongside everything else, a space where, ones it is set free, it can become a most disturbing neighbor or even a best friend.

Styrmir’s art comes together in stories which epitomise his creations. The stories develop from one thing to another; a drawing on paper can evolve into music or a sculpture which then becomes the start of a performance. The viewer gets a glimpse of a magical world in which anything can happen. The artist claims he prefers not to know where his creation may lead him. He maintains his creation in a flow, free of rationalism, exploring new boundaries of the mind.

Styrmir has exhibited and performed internationally, in festivals, museums and project spaces. In 2017, he started a performance called What Am I Doing With My Life?, which has been performed widely around Europe, including the Lithuanian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

STAY
01.05.2020 – 15.04.2021