Artists' Books and Networks

Artists' Books and Networks

Excibition in The Nordic House, inner excibition hall – entrance through library - 19 May – 17 June, 2012

In conjunction with Art in Translation, International Conference on Language and the Arts and (I)ndependent People: Collaborations and Artist Initiatives, Reykjavík Arts Festival

Some fifty years ago a movement arose of artists who focused on the production of books as artworks. They exchanged books by mail and thus created a transnational network to foster radical new ideas on art, society and culture. Some Icelandic artists, led by Dieter Roth and Magnús Pálsson, were quick to embrace this new art form, thus laying the groundwork for a tradition that later generations of artists have used to disseminate their art and nurture communication with progressive artists around the world. This exhibition examines this important aspect of contemporary Icelandic art, revealing the important role that artists' books played in ending the isolation of Icelandic artists and allowing them to become active participants in the international avant-garde.

The exhibition Artists' Books and Networks is curated by Aðalheiður L. Guðmundsdóttir and Jón Proppé in collaboration with students from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts and University of Iceland.

The exhibition is set up in conjunction with Art in Translation, 24 – 26 May 2012, a three-day international event where scholars and artists of all kinds deal with texts through lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and performances. The aim is to create an interdisciplinary forum to explore the connections between language and various art forms. This year the emphasis is on creative writing.

• 19.5.2012 - 17.6.2012