On Friday 13 October, Sequences Art Biennial opens its 11th edition ‘Can’t See’, which will run until 22 October in Reykjavik, Iceland. Curated by Marika Agu, Maria Arusoo, Kaarin Kivirähk, and Sten Ojavee from the Estonian Centre of Contemporary Art, ‘Can’t See‘ features over 50 of the most exciting emerging and established artists from the Nordic and Baltic regions, interwoven with visionary international artists.
‘Can’t See’ was inspired by the feeling that the world is slipping through our fingers, as we fail to perceive the threat of ecological destruction, just as we cannot see the potential new paths and life forms that might emerge in the future. The Biennial features a central exhibition, that is divided into four chapters across four renowned local institutions and extends into the city, with public artworks, dynamic performances and public events, shining a light on Reykjavik’s rich cultural scene.
The curators say ‘ Sequences invites everyone to gather together to enjoy the lively programme of visual art, performances and music, during Iceland’s darkest time of the year. The exhibitions are driven by the belief in art’s symbolic power, visual thinking and the ability to communicate thoughts which can’t fit into words. We hope that visitors will enjoy exploring the unseen worlds that the artists have created for this edition. ‘
Programme Highlights
‘Cant See’ Exhibition, 13 October – 26 November 2023
Taking place across Kling & Bang, The Living Art Museum, the Nordic House and the National Gallery of Iceland, the exhibition explores different ways of seeing and experiencing the world. It offers a glimpse into spaces that are normally hidden from the human eye: from the depths of the sea, the layers of the soil, the deep underground, to echoes of the past and dreams of the future. It offers new perspectives, with stories emerging from hybrid birds, bacteria, ancient trees, sea creatures, relentless wind and more. Featuring new commissions alongside existing works by artists and loans from Icelandic and Baltic museums, the exhibition spans from scientific, research-oriented practices that investigate the immediate and long-term human impact on the environment to poetic and spiritual pieces inspired by myths and folklore related to nature.
The first chapter,’Soil’ at Kling & Bang, begins the exhibition at ground level. Visitors enter through a new installation by Icelandic artist Bjarki Bragason,inviting them into his garden, where he juxtaposes the remains of an ancient tree uncovered from Vatnajökull’s receding ice cap in southeast Iceland, with a Sorbus tree he planted in his childhood. Finnish artist Antti Laitinen’s ‘Tree String Trio’ also revolves around reclaimed tree pieces, transformed into a suspended, musical installation, collected from rural landscapes. Estonian artistElo Järv, who is currently undergoing a period of new recognition, worked primarily with leather. Her sculptural pieces were inspired by living organisms, with pieces such as Landscape, containing fossils from the island of Saaremaa in Estonia, while others conjure mythical dragons and hybrid plant-animal creatures.
Shifting our gaze skywards, Guatemalan artistNaufus Ramírez-Figueroapresents an evocative audio piece that channels the spirits of extinct bird species. The piece is part of an exploration of the supernatural, and the effect of human activity and climate change on birds. The artist will conduct three seances during the biennial, inviting visitors to participate.
‘Subterranean’ at The Living Art Museum delves even deeper into the layers of the earth with The Great Meadow Silt by Ukrainian artist Katya Buchatska,created from silt collected from the land, after the Russian military destroyed the Kakhovka Dam in Southern Ukraine. The artwork reflects on the destruction caused by humans, but also how the landscape has evolved. Polish, Helsinki based artist Monika Czyżyk presents 10 window paintings, crafted from clay and ash scavenged during her travels across the remote regions of Iceland. The paintings are inspired by the volcanic landscape, legends and myths and created using her hands and different tools to draw on the wet clay. Icelandic artist Anna Lindal explores the micro-organisms that comprise the underwater biome within the basaltic rock of Surtsey, an island that emerged following a volcanic eruption in 1963. Featuring a 3D printed sculpture, screen prints and an embroidered map, Lindal reveals microscopic colonies that are invisible to the human eye.
This chapter also showcases works by pioneering Icelandic and Baltic artists on loan from institutions. A series of works by renowned artist and art teacher Valgerður Briem offers a multi-layered view of the vast and beautiful landscape, featuring mesmerizing, intensely detailed repeating patterns. A tapestry by 20th-century Latvian abstract artist Zenta Logina depicts the birth of a planet, characterized by geometric abstractions and cosmic motifs that define her later work.
‘Water’ at Nordic House, reflects on the deep ocean surrounding the site, envisioning an endless abyss of mythical creatures among abandoned ruins. Finnish artist Anna Niskanenpresents a series of large-scale cyanotype photomontages, that immerse visitors in the ebb and flow of the water. Icelandic artist Brák Jónsdóttirunveils a new sculptural commission, inspired by the Immortal Jellyfish and its unique ability to reverse its lifecycle. Estonian sculptor Edith Karlsondraws on old myths of sirens and imagines new creatures emerging from polluted seas in her sculpture, “Can’t See,” depicting a half-fish, half-human figure. Visitors end their journey in Nordic House with a video installation by Latvian artist Emilija Škarnulytė, poetically portraying a lone mermaid navigating an abandoned NATO submarine base. Škarnulytė assumes the perspective of a future archaeologist, imagining a distant era where once-significant but now-forgotten facilities are inhabited by new beings.
The final chapter ‘Metaphysical Realm’ at the National Gallery invites visitors to question established knowledge and make space for new ideas. Pioneering conceptual artist Agnes Denes employs mathematical and scientific forms in her prints, offering fresh perspectives on how to perceive and comprehend the world. Latvian artist Daria Melnikova explores life’s daily commitments through the fictional character ‘Mr. Jazzy Sunday,’ representing a day off, with the freedom to follow intuition and act spontaneously. Icelandic artist Ólöf Nordal introduces The Blirds, a series of bronze cast sculptures, portraying figures in transformation, morphoning from human to bird form, from the earthly to the spiritual. The series has recently been acquired by the National Gallery.
Performances
Sequences’ eclectic performance programme spotlights artists that push the boundaries of transformation, engaging with bodily limits and expanding the realms of the imagination.
Highlights will include Norwegian artist and saxophonist Bendik Giske and Icelandic musician Úlfur Hansson will present a performance and sound installation at the National Gallery, based around their shared interest in the physics of sound and how it can stimulate new ways of thinking and experiencing our environments. Ukrainian queer multimedia artist and musician Boji will present their sixth album ‘Subversive Shit-Talks’, which encourages listeners to show the world their power and imagine a future without dictatorships. The performance will feature experimental, enthralling vocals combined with field recordings, with mesmerising costumes by Malyuk Couture and Vladislav Plisetskiy.
Korean-American artist and musician Johanna Hedva will debut songs from their upcoming album Fist, a doomed lament, that features hag-blues, succubus folk and bog witch lullabies, with Hedva’s trademark uncanny voice, while Estonia artist Netti Nüganen will restage her piece The Myth, for which she won Estonia’s best performance award last year. Young Boy Dancing Group, which is known for its raw, intimate performances will close out the programme, transforming the courtyard of the Reykjavik Art Museum into a wrecked landscape, where bodies test the limits of human form.
Public Installations
Sequences features a captivating series of off-site and public artworks, situated across the city and further afield. Throughout the 10-day period, Reykjavik based Polish artist Grzegorz Łoznikow will be working around the Marshall House, creating his Winter Constructions, a series of ephemeral outdoor ice sculptures that melt as the temperature rises. Nearby on the colossal tank, adjacent to the Marshall House, Hungarian-Estonian artist Dénes Farkas will unveil a series of thought-provoking photographs, documenting the artists travels to the Global Seed Vaults in Svalbard, Lebanon and Russia, where the secure backups for the world’s crop diversity are stored, safeguarding our global food supply from human and environmental threats.
Located in front of The Edition Hotel, Estonian American artist John Grzinich will present a new iteration of Powerless Flight, a wind harp installation, that responds to environmental conditions, transforming the unseen, often unheard force of the wind into sound, against the backdrop of Iceland’s stunning natural scenery overlooking the harbour. Nigerian American artist Precious Okoyomon will present a new installation, exploring the power of the tide, working in collaboration with American artistDozie Kanu, presented at the historic Grótta lighthouse.
Icelandic artist Þorgerður Ólafsdóttir has created a public work that leads visitors in the direction of Surtsey Island. This work was inspired by the artist’s research trip to the island in 2021, where she was part of a group that discovered newly surfaced footprints, which are believed to be the youngest fossilised imprints by a human on Earth, younger than the boot tracks on the moon.
Full list of participating artists
Aaloe-Ader-Flo-Künnap-Soosalu (Estonia); Agnes Denes (Hungary); Alma Heikkilä (Finland); Anna Líndal (Iceland); Anna Niskanen (Finland); Antti Laitinen (Finland); Bendik Giske (Norway) in collaboration with Úlfur Hansson (Iceland); Benjamin Patterson (US); Bjarki Bragason (Iceland); Boji (Ukraine); Brák Jónsdóttir and Dúfa Sævarsdóttir (Iceland); Brynhildur Þorgeirsdóttir (Iceland); Daiga Grantina (Latvia); Daria Melnikova (Latvia); Dénes Farkas (Estonia); Dodomundo (Lithuania); Edda Kristín Sigurjónsdóttir (Iceland); Edith Karlson (Estonia); Elo-Reet Järv (Estonia); Emilija Škarnulytė (Lithuania); Gerður Helgadóttir (Iceland); Grzegorz Łoznikow (Poland/Iceland); Gudrun Nielsen (Iceland); Guðrún Vera Hjartardóttir (Iceland); Gústav Geir Bollason (Iceland); Hrund Atladóttir (Iceland); Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval (Iceland); Johanna Hedva (US/Korea); Johhan Rosenberg (Estonia); John Grzinich (US/Estonia) Jussi Kivi (Finland); Kadri Liis Rääk (Estonia); Kärt Ojavee (Estonia); Katja Novitskova (Estonia); Katya Buchatska (Ukraine); Monika Czyzyk (Poland/Finland); Naima Neidre (Estonia); Naufus Ramirez-Figueroa (Guatemala); Netti Nüganen(Estonia); Ólöf Nordal (Iceland); Pakui Hardware (Lithuania); Pola Sutryk (Poland/Iceland); Precious Okoyomon and Dozie Kanu (US); Radio Gufan (Iceland); Sigurður Einarsson (Iceland); Þorgerður Ólafsdóttir (Iceland); Uku Sepsivart(Estonia); Vaim Sarv (US/Estonia) in collaboration with Flaaryr (Argentina), Ásta Fanney (Iceland); Valgerður Briem (Iceland); Zenta Logina (Latvia); Young Boy Dancing Group