The Hidden Depths

the work of

Steinunn G. Helgadóttir

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Installation is a delicate art form, poised at the intersection of the trivial and the absurd, both serious and flippant, light-hearted and earnest. Historically installations relate alternately to the art of teh ready-made as pioneered by Marcel Duchamp or to happenings, as staged by Alan Kaprow, John Cage and others. In fact these approaches are often mixed and ultimately, the definition of an installation lies only in its efficacy. The most effective installations then tend to be those that have a simple and immediate effect on the audience but also allow for more thoughtful scrutiny that uncovers other layers of meaning and raises questions that are relevant to the lives of those that view the artwork.

 

The installation art of Steinunn G. Helgadóttir combines the different ingredients into environments that appear simple and accessible, often with a strong humorous element, but turn out to hold a complicated and sometimes disturbing symbolic message...