19 May – 3 of August 2012 NÝLÓ + Archive of Artist Run Initiatives: An open site research office at The National Gallery of Iceland.
The open site research office, hosted by The National Gallery, was led by Karina Hanney Marrero and evolved around the The Living Art Museum’s Archive of Artist Run Initiatives (AARI). The project was commissioned by Reykjavík Arts Festival Visual Arts Program, and additionally funded by Rannís – The Icelandic Centre for Research.
The Living Art Museum, or NÝLÓ as it is referred to on a daily basis, was founded by artists in 1978 and is the oldest non-profit artist-run organisation in Iceland. NÝLÓ houses a large art collection and substantial archive where material involving Icelandic and international art practices from 1960 till today can be found. The AARI was established in 2008 mandated to preserve, collect and distribute material about creative spaces initiated by Icelandic and international artists in Iceland. To this day, NÝLÓ has collected material relating to over 100 exhibition spaces, and the search for further material is an ever-going process.
The unboxing of the archive’s content at the National Gallery, resulted in a timeline, listing the creative spaces, their lifespan and socio-political synopsis. The projects aim was to assemble an an overview of this un-revealed parts of Icelandic art history from 1960-2012. During the office’s opening hours museum guests and contributors were encouraged to ask questions about the project, engage in a conversation or contribute relevant material further improving the research base. Additionally, the office was provided with a blog by the festival where open calls could be performed and questions asked.
Further related events:
An Evening Walk for (I)ndependent People was held on July 19th in relation to the project. The Living Art Museum offered an tour tracing the history of and the whereabouts of creative spaces around Reykjavík city centre. The walk was led by Karina Hanney Marrero.
Additionally, on August 25th an open conversation was held at the National Gallery of Iceland where the results of the research was presented and discussed, and questions and potential answers presented. The discussion was led by Karina Hanney Marrero, Gunnhildur Hauksdóttir, Unnar Örn Auðarsson and Sigríður Melrós Ólafsdóttir.
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