In November 2006, Paris Photo was celebrating its 10th Fair. An overview of the finest photography the market has to offer, Paris Photo had selected 106 exhibitors to present the art of photography, from the early masters of the 19th century right through to contemporary discoveries.

Devoted to revealing the latest trends from a particular country or region of the world the Statement section at the fair was presenting a selection of Nordic artists. Their one-person shows are organized by 8 galleries from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. This exploration into the photography scene up north extends into the Central Exhibition and the Project Room, which respectively reveal the best photography and video collections found in the Nordic countries.

i8 gallery from Reykjavík presented Hrafnkell Sigurdsson’s latest and unique photo triptychs entitled “Conversions”. The outer panels of this sacred format show views of a landfill, garbage folds, Rorschach-like, in upon itself as literal relics from human existence. The opened triptych showed the panorama of an unspoiled but nevertheless icy, untouched Icelandic landscape.

Another highlight was the invitation of Rúrí as an honorary guest and supported by the CIA.IS. She presented her sensitive photo-sound installation of the “endangered waterfalls”, which are referring back to her impressive sound and image archive she presented at the Venice Biennial in 2003.

The focus on the Nordic Countries was obviously very successful for both the fair in general and each gallery and artist. “A lot of contacts have been made and a lot works were sold”, said Edda Jónsdóttir, the owner of i8 gallery. Her and Rúrí’s success in Paris is also a success for the Icelandic art scene in general.