Reykjavik Experiment Marathon

Reykjavik Art Museum
Reykjavik Experiment Marathon
15 May - 24 August 2008

Curated by Olafur Eliasson and
Hans Ulrich Obrist

http://www.artmuseum.is

Reykjavik Experiment Marathon will bring together over forty renowned artists, architects, film-makers, and scientists from the international community for a two-fold event at the Reykjavik Art Museum—Hafnarhús: a large-scale, three month-long exhibition and a laboratory conducting its work before the public eye during the opening days of the exhibition (Friday May 16th and Sunday May 18th).

The exhibition and related events are curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-Director of Exhibitions and Programs and Director of International Projects, Serpentine Gallery, London, in collaboration with artist Ólafur Elíasson.

Participants in Reykjavik Experiment Marathon are Marina Abramovic, David Adjaye, Einar Thorsteinn Ásgeirsson, Fia Backström, John Baldessari, Thomas Bayrle, John Brockman, Peter Coles, Tony Conrad, Carlos Cruz-Diez Attila Csörgö, Brian Eno, Ólafur Elíasson, Erró, Jimmie Durham, Ivana Franke, Hreinn Fridfinnsson, Gabríela Fridriksdóttir, Yona Friedman, Aurélien Froment, Abhishek Hazra, Hilmar B. Janusson, Hekla Dögg Jónsdóttir, Kristján Leósson, Karl Ægir Karlsson, Darri Lorenzen, Jonas Mekas, MM, Gustav Metzger, Matthew Ritchie, Pedro Reyes, Luc Steels, Tomas Saraceno, Carolee Schneemann, Thorsteinn I. Sigfússon, Katrín Siguoardóttir, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Tris Vonna-Michell, Thor Vilhjálmsson, Emily Wardill, Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Reykjavik Experiment Marathon is the centrepiece of the 2008 Reykjavik Arts Festival. It is a joint project of the Reykjavik Art Museum and the Serpentine Gallery and builds on the enormous success of the recent Serpentine Gallery marathons which have taken place in successive Serpentine Gallery Pavilions. Main sponsors of the exhibition are Reykjavik Energy and Icelandair.

A book accompanying the exhibition, with texts by Bruno Latour, Olafur Eliasson and others, will be available from Buchhandlung Walther König.

Also as part of The Reykjavík Arts Festival are two major exhibitions at Reykjavik Art Museum—Kjarvalsstadir opening on May 18th. The exhibition Dreams of the Sublime and Nowhere in Contemporary Icelandic Art presents new work by thirteen Icelandic artists, ranging from panoramic landscape photographs to multi-media installations. The exhibition is sponsored by Landsbanki.

The second exhibition at Kjarvalsstadir is a commissioned outdoor installation in the museum’s courtyard by artist/landscape architect Martha Schwartz. The extensive installation, entitled I Hate Nature, alludes to the debate over environmental protection versus exploitation. The main sponsor of this exhibition is Ingibjörg Kristjánsdóttir. The work is commissioned on the occasion of the Association of Icelandic Landscape Architects’ 30th anniversary.