Outi Pieski, Risteavat polut (Ruossalas balgat) (Crossing Paths), 2014, Collection of the artist
Nordic Impressions: Contemporary Art from Åland, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden opens at Scandinavia House. This new exhibition brings together a wide array of artistic expressions – paintings, drawings, photographs, installations, films, and videos – that reflect the rich diversity and global character of Nordic art. Curated by Phillips Collection Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Academic Affairs Klaus Ottmann, the exhibition features works by internationally acclaimed artists such as Olafur Eliasson, Katrín Sigurdardóttir, Ragnar Kjartansson, and Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir / Shoplifter from Iceland; Israeli-born Danish painter Tal R, Danish artist collaborative SUPERFLEX, and artists Jesper Just and Per Kirkeby; Norwegian performance and video artist Tori Wrånes and photographer Torbjørn Rødland; Finnish artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila; Swedish painter Mamma Andersson and video and mixed-media artist Nathalie Djurberg; Sámi artists Outi Pieski and Britta Marakatt-Labba; Greenlandic painter, photographer, and writer Pia Aarke; and others.
Jesper Just, Continuous Monuments (Interpassivities), 2017 Single-channel video, sound, Collection of the artist
Henry Wuorila-Stenberg, Omakura (Self-Portrait), Private collection
Mamma Andersson, Behind the Curtain, 2014, Collection of the artist © Mamma Andersson, courtesy David Zwirner
Nathalie Djurberg, Birds, 2011, Tony Podesta Collection, Washington, DC
Aase Seidler Gernes, Uden title (Untitled), 2013-16, Collection of the artist
Made across a spectrum of media from locations throughout the Nordic region, the works in the exhibition each offer a different artistic experience while being tied across themes that have held a special place in Nordic culture: both historic themes such as light and darkness, the coalescence of nature and folklore, women’s rights and social liberalism; and more current subjects such as climate change, sustainability, and immigration. Drawn from a larger survey at the Phillips Collection in the fall of 2018, this exhibition comes from the work of the multi-year Nordic Cultural Initiative, a collaboration between the Phillips Collection and the Washington, D.C.-based embassies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, launched in 2014 to promote the wealth of Nordic artistic talent.
Olafur Eliasson, The Island Series, 1997, Tony Podesta Collection, Washington, DC
SUPERFLEX, Den Grønne Ø i Det Røde Hav (The Green Island in the Red Sea), 2017, Collection of the artists
Pia Arke, Arktisk hysteri (Arctic Hysteria), 1996, Video / Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek
Tal R, The Drawing Class, 2014, Collection of Howard and Katia Read, New York
Torbjorn Rodland, Goldene Tränen (Golden Tears), 2002, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Gifts from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 2018 / Per Kirkeby, Inferno V, 1992 Oil on canvas, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC Gift of Gifford and Joanne Phillips, 2009
This exhibition has been organized in collaboration with The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Presentation at Scandinavia House has been funded in part by the generous support of Trond S. Jensen, Henry P. Godfrey and Ginger Schnaper, The Royal Norwegian Consulate General in New York, The Consulate General of Denmark in New York, The Consulate General of Sweden in New York, and Iceland Naturally, as well as the Bonnier Family Fund for Contemporary Art, the Estate of Birgitta Tyra Dill, the F. Donald Kenney Fund for Visual Arts, and the Kronquist Mesaros Memorial Endowment Fund. Additional support for the exhibition at Phillips Collection has been provided by the Marion F. Goldin Charitable Fund, Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, and the scan | design foundation.
Nordic Impressions
February 23 – June 8, 2019 / Scandinavia House
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