A new international art festival coming up this fall in Iceland's vibrant capital! SEQUENCES real time festival reykavík 2006

What is so special about the contemporary art scene in Iceland? Is it a strong impact of nature? Is it the influences of dark mysticism? If you are looking for stereotypes you will of course find them. But much more significant for this vibrant art scene is the strong interrelation between visual arts, music and performing arts. These nexuses are accountable for specific dynamic creative processes wich develop especially in time-based art projects. SEQUENCES will connect local and international video, performance artists and musicians in a dense program in Reykjavík in October 2006. SEQUENCES real time festival reykjavík 2006 13. - 28. October 2006

www.sequences.is

Mother's Ruin Margrét Blöndal Exhibits in Dublin

Mother's tankstation is pleased to present the first in a series of curated group exhibitions Mother's Ruin - dangerous obsessions and the culture of excess. This show revels (and we believe that to be the correct word!) in one of the great myths of artistic creativity i.e. that art (and artists) only really function when teetering on the brink of one form of disastrous excess or another; drinks, drugs, sex, madness etc. From Caravaggio to Damien Hirst, the public - much aided by Hollywood and Romantic literature - has viewed the artist as a darkly brooding yet exciting creature. This embodiment of extreme "liberty", frees artists to indulge the darkest fantasies of the non-art "civilian" population.

The title of the exhibition is of course drawn from the name given to the mid-eighteenth century effects of gin drinking on English society, which on reflection, makes the contemporary world's narcotic indulgence seem relatively benign. Mother's ruin uses this title metaphorically as a signifier for all forms of obsessive and compulsive behavior, personal and cultural excess. Petri Ala-Maunus (Finland) shows what he gets up to after sunset. Margrét H. Blöndal (Iceland) gets enigmatic and creates painfully beautiful sculptures. Nina Canell (Sweden/Ireland) tortures relatives. Ciaran Murphy (Ireland) has only recently returned from India, so we have no idea to what depths he has sunk. Alan Phelan (Ireland) disguises and hides things, Garret Phelan (Ireland) runs riot with his indelible graffiti marker, and David Sherry (N.I./Scotland) makes life hell for bus drivers. Have we got your attention yet?

www.motherstankstation.com

Icelandic Artists in Södertalje Nuevo Estocolmo

On March 18th, the exhibition "Nuevo Estocolmo" was opened at Luna Kulturhus in Södertalje, Sweden. Along with Swedish and Finnish artists, five Icelandic artist will be taking part in the exhibition: Guđmundur Thoroddsen, Guđný Rúnarsdóttir, Ragnar Jónasson, Rakel Pétursdóttir og Sólveig Einarsdóttir. The exhibition is the second in a row of three connected but independent exhibitions funded by Nordisk Kulturfund. The first one was "Norđur og niđur" which was held at The Nordic House in Reykjavík in the fall of 2004 and the last one, "Likimain", will be held next fall at The Jetty Barracks Gallery in Helsinki. Read more about the exhibtion at http://www.konsthall.sodertalje.se/.

Gudjon Bjarnason Exhibition now in Reykjavik to go to New York

Gudjon Bjarnason studied art and architecture in the United States before returning to Iceland and mounting his first major solo exhibition at Kjarvalsstadir, the Reykjavik Art Museum, in 1990. Since then his work has featured in nearly fifty exhibitions in Iceland, the United States, Britain, Norway, Denmark, Spain, and recently in France in connection with the cultural cities of Europe.

The Reykjavik Art Museum is now host to a semi-retrospective exhibition, entitled EXploding MEaning – the explosive work of Gudjon Bjarnason. His exploded steel sculptures, accompanied by paintings, various texts, photographs and video projections and recent architectural projects have attracted attentions on both sides of the Atlantic and will be exhibited in two solo museum exhibits in New York, in the Snug Harbor Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute, and IMOCA, the International Museum of Contemporary Art, before continuing to further destinations.

More on www.listasafnreykjavikur.is

Katrin Sigurdardottir Exhibits in Chicago, Getting Ready for New York and P.S.1

Early this year, Katrin Sigurdardottir exhibited with Sanford Biggers and Javier Tellez at The Renaissance Society, the modern art museum of the University of Chicago. Before the year is out she will also be showing her art in a solo exhibition at P.S.1 in New York. Of course, she has at least three other solo shows this year and last year her work was in 14 group exhibitions so she is used to the pressure. As seen in the work at the Renaissance Society, Katrin continues to produce eye-opening work that is thoughtful and carefully crafted, despite her busy schedule.

www.renaissancesociety.org

hwww.takesyou.to/katrin.sigurdardottir/index.html