Steinunn Thorarinsdottir

Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir (transliterated as Thorarinsdottir; born on April 20, 1955)[2] is an Icelandic sculptor.[3][4] Her work uses androgynous human figures such as those in her most notable exhibits Borders and Horizons.

Steinunn Thorarinsdottir
Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir
Born (1955-04-20) April 20, 1955
NationalityIcelandic
EducationUniversity of Portsmouth, England (1974–79); Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, Italy (1979–80)
AwardsOrder of the Falcon
2009
[1]
Websitesteinunnth.com
"Voyage", by Steinunn Thorarinsdottir, in Kingston upon Hull.
"Sýn", by Steinunn Thorarinsdóttir, in Grundarfjörður, Iceland

Biography

Steinunn lives and works in Reykjavik, Iceland. She married Jon Arsæll[5] and has two sons.[6] Steinunn studied art in England at the University of Portsmouth Fine Art Department and in Bologna, Italy at the Accademia di Belle Arte.[7] Her teachers included British sculptor Darrell Viner.[6]

Steinunn is a member of the Reykjavik Association of Sculptors where she served as president from 1985 to 1987.[8] In 2009 she was awarded the Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland for her contribution to the Icelandic and international art communities.[1]

Exhibits

Horizons

This exhibit of 12 life-size androgynous figures has made appearances at the Georgia Museum of Art, Knoxville Museum of Art as well as locations in Alabama, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Illinois[6][9] beginning in 2007. The figures, each in a unique pose, are made of cast iron and are cohesive as a collection by the band of polished glass around their chests.[10]

Steinunn explained the significance of her choice in materials: “The color of the iron signifies their primal quality—as if they are emerging from the earth” while “Glass as a material has a lot of different connotations. It can be fragile, yet dangerous. It can be translucent, or solid. . . It's like water, but also like air.[11]

The exhibit was showcased in the documentary Horizons: The Art of Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir directed by Frank Cantor and featuring music by Björk. The film, exploring the human condition through Steinunn's work, was awarded a Cine Golden Eagle, Special Jury and Masters Award from the International Cine Festival in Washington, D.C. in 2009.[12]

Borders

This 26 piece exhibit was originally sculpted for exhibition in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in 2011.[3] The androgynous figures are divided into 13 pairs which mirror each other. Each pair includes a cast iron and an aluminum figure. After their time in NYC, Borders traveled to Dallas, Seattle, Chicago, and was on display at Valparaiso University in Northwest Indiana from 2014-2016. Borders is currently displayed at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park in Hamilton, Ohio.

Steinunn posed her kneeling, standing, and sitting pairs in politically and socially charged areas purposefully[13] The exhibit also calls back to Steinunn's family since she used her eighteen-year-old son as a model.

Brauer Museum of Art Director/Curator, Gregg Hertzlieb described the exhibit's social commentary on unity and diversity: "The figures observe invisible borders that keep them forever separated, and yet the similarities between the pairs, and among all the figures, acknowledge a shared nature that attracts and transfixes them. Viewers experiencing the silent dialogue between the paired iron and aluminum figures realize that, while difference may initially gain attention, what sustains this symbolic and eternal exchange is empathy and respect.[4]"

Encounters with Iceland

After a trip to Iceland in 2013, Mission Hill Family Estate winery proprietor Anthony von Mandl decided to bring an exhibit of Steinunn's work to the estate in Okanagan Valley, Canada.[14] The exhibit includes more than 40 of Steinunn's life-size sculptures in cast iron and aluminum. Some are in mirrored pairs like those of Borders while others are single figures. The exhibit stayed at the winery June–December 2014.

Commissions

'Waves'

In 2010, Steinunn unveiled her sculpture 'Waves' commissioned by The University of Aberdeen, Scotland. The sculpture consists of two cast aluminum curved towers with one human figure at the base of one and another human figure on top of the other. The nine meter tall sculpture sits outside the Aberdeen Sports Village.[15] Steinunn said, "The sculpture ‘Waves’ is inspired by the special character of Aberdeen with its open seas and unique colour as well as the shape of the Aberdeen Sports Village building. The work expresses dynamic movement, progress and a journey of discovery.”

'Voyages'

'Voyages' in the City of Hull, England.

'Voyages' is Steinunn's two part sculpture that was commissioned by the British and Icelandic governments. The sister statues gaze out over the waters between Hull, England and Vik, Iceland. The two fishing towns have a long history of trade relations spanning over 1000 years which was colored by the Cod War in the 1950s and 1970s.[16] The statues symbolize the reestablishment of friendship between the two towns. Poets Angela Leighton, Carol Rumens, Cliff Forshaw, and David Wheatley composed poems in honor of the unveiling of the sculptures.[16]

The statue in Hull was stolen in July 2011 presumably by scrap metal thieves. Insurance money was able to cover the cost of replacing the statue[17]

Sculptures

TitleMaterialSizeDate CompletedCurrent Location
BalanceCast Iron28 x 43 inches (71 x 109 cm)
Being ThereCast Iron53 x 0 inches (135 x 0 cm)
ConnectionAnodized Aluminum39 x 158 inches (99 x 401 cm)
CrusadersCast Iron and Glass64.06 in (163 cm)1999Osborne Samuel Gallery
DawnCast Iron and Glass70 x 0 inches (178 x 0 cm)
Days (Installation of 5 figures)Cast iron and glass2008Kathryn Hall Wineyards, California, USA.
EarthCast Iron43.23 x 39.30 inches2001Osborne Samuel Gallery
FluxCast Iron and Glass72 x 0 inches (183 x 0 cm)
IlluminationCast Iron and Glass69 inches (176 cm)2003Private Collection
IslandsAluminium & Cast iron2003Osborne Samuel Gallery
LooseningAluminumSize2000
Mirror II Aluminum 28 x 11 x 6 inches (73 x 28 x 16 cm) 2017 Private Collection, Denmark
MomentAnodized Aluminum51 x 19 inches (130 x 48 cm)Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery
MomentumAluminum14 x 20 inches (36 x 51 cm)
Morning IBronze11 x 0 inches (28 x 0 cm)
Morning IIBronze15 x 0 inches (38 x 0 cm)
PlaceAluminum53 x 16 inches (135 x 41 cm)Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery 1/7
PoemCast Iron and Glass14 x 39 inches (36 x 99 cm)
Position IAluminum16 x 12 inches (41 x 30 cm)Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery 2/7
Position IIAluminum and Mirrored Steel30 x 18 inches (76 x 46 cm)Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery
Situation IIAluminum and Mirrored Steel16 x 0 inches (41 x 0 cm)
SýnStainless Steel576 x 60 cm1989Grundarfjörður, Iceland[18]
Tide IIAnodized Aluminum71 x 0 inches (180 x 0 cm)
TabulaAluminum and stainless steel225 x 200 x 300 cm2010Liechtenstein.
Vision IAluminium And Mirror Steel16 x 11 inches (41 x 28 cm)Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery, Ed. 3
Vision IICast Iron and Glass16 x 16 inches (41 x 41 cm)

References

  1. "STEINUNN THÓRARINSDÓTTIR - Biography" (PDF). Mission Hill Winery. Mission Hill Family Estate. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  2. "Steinunn Thorarinsdottir". Osborne Samuel: Modern and Contemporary Art. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  3. "Steinunn Thorarinsdottir's BORDERS On Display At Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza". NYC Parks. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  4. "Borders" (PDF). Brauer Museum of Art. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  5. "News" (PDF) (Vol. 3 No. 4). iceland.org/us. Embassy of Iceland, Washington. March 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  6. "Icelandic Sculptress Makes Confrontational Art". Culture for Friends. Euro Business Translations. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  7. "Icelandic Artist Brings 26 Life-Sized Sculptures to Solti Garden in Grant Park". Chicago Park District. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  8. "History". The Reykjavik Association of Sculptors. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  9. "Steinunn Thorarinsdottir". International Sculpture Center. Sculpture Magazine. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  10. "Horizons". Georgia Museum of Art. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  11. "Horizons: Steinunn Thorarinsdottir". Knoxville Museum of Art. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  12. "The Scandinavia House is Screening Frank Cantor's Latest Film". Iceland Naturally. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  13. "Quiet types gather in Grant Park, ready for action". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  14. Da Silva, Michelle. "Encounter Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir's sculptures at Mission Hill winery". Straight.com. Vancouver Free Press. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  15. "Sculptures by internationally-acclaimed artist unveiled at Aberdeen Sports Village". University of Aberdeen. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  16. "For and Voyage statues - a special bond celebrated with art". Hull City Council. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  17. "Iceland asked for a second statue to replace monument stolen for scrap". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  18. https://www.grundarfjordur.is/is/eng/tourism/outdoor-art-in-grundarfjordur
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