The exhibition will feature new and recent paintings by Arngunnur Ýr, focusing on the artist’s relocation to Hawaii – in a beautiful area where nature is now giving way to human settlement. There, Arngunnur and her husband are in the process of building a house, forming a link between the works and local history, but this was historically the site of a village of Native Hawaiians. However, the sea brought disaster upon the village, which was completely swept away in a tsunami long ago. Later, the land was taken over by sugar barons and presently it is unfeasible for most Native Hawaiians to purchase lots in the area. Basing her works on plant motifs, Arngunnur seeks to connect with the land, as the artist considers her own privileged position, enjoying the benefits of this territory that is not attainable by all – a territory that is steadily encroached upon by both humans and nature.
Arngunnur Ýr (b. 1962) graduated with a BFA in painting from the San Fransisco Art Institute in 1986. She later attended studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1989 to 1990, going on to complete her MFA in painting at Mills College, Oakland, California, in 1992. She has received various awards and recognition for her art, for example a grant from The Svavar Guðnason and Ásta Eiríksdóttir Art Award and from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Her works have been exhibited in Iceland, Europe and the United States and can be found in the collection of public museums, various institutions and private collectors, both in Iceland and abroad. Arngunnur divides her time between California and Iceland.