Steinunn Thorarinsdottir Explained

Steinunn Thorarinsdottir
Native Name:Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir
Native Name Lang:Icelandic
Birth Date:20 April 1955
Nationality:Icelandic
Education:University of Portsmouth, England (1974–79); Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, Italy (1979–80)
Awards:[1]

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

Biography

Steinunn lives and works in Reykjavik, Iceland. She married Jon Arsæll[4] and has two sons.[5] Steinunn studied art in England at the University of Portsmouth Fine Art Department and in Bologna, Italy at the Accademia di Belle Arte.[6] Her teachers included British sculptor Darrell Viner.Steinunn is a member of the Reykjavik Association of Sculptors where she served as president from 1985 to 1987.[7] 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.

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[8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11]

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.[12] 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."

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' 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.

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

Title Material Size Date Completed Current Location
Balance Cast Iron 28 x 43 inches (71 x 109 cm)
Being There Cast Iron 53 x 0 inches (135 x 0 cm)
Connection Anodized Aluminum 39 x 158 inches (99 x 401 cm)
Crusaders Cast Iron and Glass 64.06 in (163 cm) 1999 Osborne Samuel Gallery
Dawn Cast Iron and Glass 70 x 0 inches (178 x 0 cm)
Days (Installation of 5 figures) Cast iron and glass 2008 Kathryn Hall Wineyards, California, USA.
Earth Cast Iron 43.23 x 39.30 inches 2001 Osborne Samuel Gallery
Flux Cast Iron and Glass 72 x 0 inches (183 x 0 cm)
Illumination Cast Iron and Glass 69 inches (176 cm) 2003 Private Collection
Islands Aluminium & Cast iron 2003 Osborne Samuel Gallery
Loosening Aluminum Size 2000
Mirror IIAluminum28 x 11 x 6 inches (73 x 28 x 16 cm)2017Private Collection, Denmark
Moment Anodized Aluminum 51 x 19 inches (130 x 48 cm) Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery
Momentum Aluminum 14 x 20 inches (36 x 51 cm)
Morning I Bronze 11 x 0 inches (28 x 0 cm)
Morning II Bronze 15 x 0 inches (38 x 0 cm)
Place Aluminum 53 x 16 inches (135 x 41 cm) Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery 1/7
Poem Cast Iron and Glass 14 x 39 inches (36 x 99 cm)
Position I Aluminum 16 x 12 inches (41 x 30 cm)Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery 2/7
Position II Aluminum and Mirrored Steel 30 x 18 inches (76 x 46 cm) Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery
Situation II Aluminum and Mirrored Steel 16 x 0 inches (41 x 0 cm)
Sýn Stainless Steel 576 x 60 cm 1989 Grundarfjörður, Iceland[18]
Tide II Anodized Aluminum 71 x 0 inches (180 x 0 cm)
Tabula Aluminum and stainless steel 225 x 200 x 300 cm 2010 Liechtenstein.
Vision I Aluminium And Mirror Steel 16 x 11 inches (41 x 28 cm) Odon Wagner Contemporary Gallery, Ed. 3
Vision II Cast Iron and Glass 16 x 16 inches (41 x 41 cm)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: STEINUNN THÓRARINSDÓTTIR - Biography. Mission Hill Winery. Mission Hill Family Estate. 10 November 2014.
  2. Web site: Steinunn Thorarinsdottir. 10 November 2014. Osborne Samuel: Modern and Contemporary Art.
  3. Web site: Borders. Brauer Museum of Art. 11 November 2014.
  4. News: News. 10 November 2014. Embassy of Iceland, Washington. 4. iceland.org/us. March 2011. 3.
  5. Web site: Icelandic Sculptress Makes Confrontational Art. Culture for Friends. Euro Business Translations. 10 November 2014.
  6. Web site: Icelandic Artist Brings 26 Life-Sized Sculptures to Solti Garden in Grant Park. Chicago Park District. 10 November 2014.
  7. Web site: History. The Reykjavik Association of Sculptors. 11 November 2014.
  8. Web site: Steinunn Thorarinsdottir. International Sculpture Center. Sculpture Magazine. 11 November 2014.
  9. Web site: Horizons. Georgia Museum of Art. 11 November 2014.
  10. Web site: Horizons: Steinunn Thorarinsdottir. Knoxville Museum of Art. 11 November 2014.
  11. Web site: The Scandinavia House is Screening Frank Cantor's Latest Film. Iceland Naturally. 11 November 2014.
  12. Web site: Steinunn Thorarinsdottir's BORDERS On Display At Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza. NYC Parks. 11 November 2014.
  13. Web site: Quiet types gather in Grant Park, ready for action. Chicago Tribune. 11 November 2014.
  14. Web site: Da Silva. Michelle. Encounter Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir's sculptures at Mission Hill winery. Straight.com. 26 June 2014. Vancouver Free Press. 11 November 2014.
  15. Web site: Sculptures by internationally-acclaimed artist unveiled at Aberdeen Sports Village. University of Aberdeen. 13 November 2014.
  16. Web site: For and Voyage statues - a special bond celebrated with art. Hull City Council. 13 November 2014.
  17. Web site: Iceland asked for a second statue to replace monument stolen for scrap. The Guardian. 20 September 2011. 13 November 2014.
  18. Web site: Outdoor Art in Grundarfjörður - Art in Snaefellsnes - Sculptures in West Iceland.