Steinunn Thorarinsdottir

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Steinunn.
Steinunn Thorarinsdottir
Native name Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir
Born (1955-04-20) April 20, 1955
Nationality Icelandic
Education University of Portsmouth, England (1974-79); Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, Italy (1979-80)
Awards Order of the Falcon
2009
[1]
Website www.steinunnth.com

Steinunn Thorarinsdottir is a sculptor from Iceland whose exhibits have been showcased internationally including locations in the United States, Canada, the UK, Japan, and China.[2] Her work is recognized by her use of androgynous human figures such as those in her most notable exhibits Borders and Horizons. Steinunn's 35 years of work can be found in galleries, museums, airports, parks, streets, and fields. She has been commissioned by Iceland, the UK, University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and Leifur Eiríksson International Airport.[3]

Biography

Steinunn Thorarinsdottir, a native Icelander, was born on April 20, 1955[4] and currently lives and works in Reykjavik, Iceland. She married Jon Arsæll[5] and has two sons: Thórarinn Ingi Jónsson and Thórdur Ingi Jónsson.[6] Steinunn studied art in England at the University of Portsmouth Fine Art Department and in Bologna, Italy at the Accademia di Belle Arte.[7] Her teachers included British sculptor Darrell Viner.[6]

Steinunn is a member of the Reykjavik Association of Sculptors where she served as president from 1985 to 1987.[8] 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.[1]

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[6][9] 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.[10]

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.[11]”

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.[12]

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.[3] 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 is currently on display at Valparaiso University in Northwest Indiana.

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.[2]"

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.[16]

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
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)
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)

References

  1. 1 2 "STEINUNN THÓRARINSDÓTTIR - Biography" (PDF). Mission Hill Winery. Mission Hill Family Estate. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Borders" (PDF). Brauer Museum of Art. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Steinunn Thorarinsdottir's BORDERS On Display At Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza". NYC Parks. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Steinunn Thorarinsdottir". Osborne Samuel: Modern and Contemporary Art. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  5. ↑ "News" (PDF) (Vol. 3 No. 4). iceland.org/us. Embassy of Iceland, Washington. March 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Icelandic Sculptress Makes Confrontational Art". Culture for Friends. Euro Business Translations. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "Icelandic Artist Brings 26 Life-Sized Sculptures to Solti Garden in Grant Park". Chicago Park District. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  8. ↑ "History". The Reykjavik Association of Sculptors. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "Steinunn Thorarinsdottir". International Sculpture Center. Sculpture Magazine. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Horizons". Georgia Museum of Art. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Horizons: Steinunn Thorarinsdottir". Knoxville Museum of Art. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  12. ↑ "The Scandinavia House is Screening Frank Cantor's Latest Film". Iceland Naturally. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  13. ↑ "Quiet types gather in Grant Park, ready for action". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  14. ↑ Da Silva, Michelle. "Encounter Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir's sculptures at Mission Hill winery". Straight.com. Vancouver Free Press. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  15. ↑ "Sculptures by internationally-acclaimed artist unveiled at Aberdeen Sports Village". University of Aberdeen. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  16. 1 2 "For and Voyage statues - a special bond celebrated with art". Hull City Council. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "Iceland asked for a second statue to replace monument stolen for scrap". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
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