Lava, Glass, Manila Rope, Linen, Rubber, Salt, Bronze, Slate, Mud, Copper, Silver, Icelandite, Seashell, Turf.

“THE STORY IS IN THE MATERIALS”— RAGNA RÓBERTSDÓTTIR

Lava, Glass, Manila Rope, Linen, Rubber, Salt, Bronze, Slate, Mud, Copper, Silver, Icelandite, Seashell, Turf. situates recent works within Ragna Róbertsdóttir’s oeuvre. With an essay by Berin Golonu and a conversation between the artist and Geneva Viralam.

Ragna Róbertsdóttir (born 1945 in Reykjavík, Iceland; lives and works in Reykjavík and Berlin) relies on unique materials that are inherent to the Icelandic landscape and inform its appearance as the starting point for her series of works. The collection, cleaning, and archiving of materials are also central to Róbertsdóttir’s creative engagement with nature and its materiality. Her minimalist installations are made of, say, salt from Reykjanes, lava rock from Hekla, or red mud from Krýsuvík. These materials are arranged in architectural forms or assembled in compositions that gesture toward the built environment and bring the Icelandic landscape into the exhibition space. In doing so, they also reference Iceland’s natural and architectural history.