Both critically-acclaimed and loved by the public, Reykjavik-based Hrafnhildur Arnadóttir / Shoplifter has created a unique multicolored installation for the Kai space using synthetic hair extensions. These colorful mass-produced fibers are carefully mixed and transformed from their original purpose to create a suspended labyrinth of colors and a web of intertwined swirls as they float in chaotic formation around the viewer. The installation inspires an inner journey with a multisensory language of texture and vibrant chromatic 3D formation.
The exhibition is closed on Friday, June 16th.
Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir / Shoplifter (b. 1969, Reykjavik) is a contemporary artist who works with synthetic and natural hair. When Arnardóttir moved to New York in 1994, her birth name was mispronounced as Shoplifter and she has gone by that name ever since. Shoplifter is known for her sculptures, wall murals, and site-specific installations, and has shown her work worldwide. She has collaborated with artists from various countries while moving comfortably along the borders between art, fashion, traditional craft, and design. In 2004, she created a hair mask for the musician Björk and the cover of her album Medúlla, and in 2008 she worked in collaboration with art collective a.v.a.f. to create a large-scale window installation at MoMA. Shoplifter represented Iceland at La Biennale di Venezia in 2019 with her installation Chromo Sapiens. Her recent solo exhibitions include Hypernature at ARoS (Aarhus, 2021), Chromo Sapiens at Reykjavik Art Museum (Reykjavik, 2020), and Nervescape at Kiasma (Helsinki, 2019).
The exhibition is supported by Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Tallinn Culture & Sports Department, Embassy of Iceland, Akzo Nobel and Vestman Energia.
