The nordic third world country? – Icelandic art in times of crisis.

The Nordic Third World Country? – Icelandic Art in Times of Crisis.
Fargfabriken Norr, Ostersund, Sweden
October 16th 2011 – January 16th 2011

Erla S. Haraldsdottír « Reynisdrangar » 2008

This project is mainly concerned with artistic strategies that deal with the Icelandic crisis in a broad sense. It takes to task and problematizes a common understanding of this mid-Atlantic island in various ways, not the least by playing with notions of ‘pure nature’. It attempts to tell a part of the complex story of one of the first nations to collapse in the recent global economic crisis due to a combination of nepotism and international bank speculations, with accusations about terrorism from Central Europe being a bizarre consequence. As a reaction to the economic situation and the sale of natural resources for corporate interests (such as the building of Europe’s largest hydroelectric power plant for the benefit of Alcoa, while heading its own national economy off a cliff), the Icelandic government was overthrown in a « cutlery revolution », where people banged pots and pans for days on end. Today, Iceland´s politicians are regulated by the IMF and the future is unclear.

Behind the ironic specificity of the title, there is also a search for an adequate vocabulary to depict the state of exception in a post-industrial nation where the notion of economic progression, from a Developing to Industrial country, has been reversed. Furthermore, there is a desire to address the use of « green tech » by dirty industries to lure in small nations with natural resources onto non-reversible contracts.

Starting off with a performance by the artist Ragnar Kjartansson and continuing with his video-installation ‘Guilt Trip’ at Färgfabriken in Stockholm, that ran throughout the summer of 2010, Färgfabriken jointly organized a seminar with the Goethe Institute in August discussing the global economic crisis with Iceland as a focal point (The Nordic Third World Country – Panic or Possibility? with Björn Þorsteinsson, Dorothée Kirch, Hildur Maragaretardottír, Urs Stäheli, John Swedenmark and Jonatan Habib Engqvist).

Deepening this investigation of the frustration but also the redefinition of values taking place within current Icelandic cultural life and politics, the project will now move to Östersund where the group show The Nordic Third World country – Icelandic art in times of crisis opens on 16 October 2010 at Färgfabriken Norr. This final part of the project will include a new performance by the Icelandic Love Corporation on the opening day. A publication with documentation, transcripts and ordered texts, summarizing the entire project will be produced towards the end of the year.

Participating artists
Erla S. Haraldsdóttir
The Icelandic Love Corporation
Ragnar Kjartansson
Hildur Margarétardóttir
Bjargey Ólafsdóttir
Ingvar Högni Ragnarsson
Rúrí
Magnús Sigurdarson
Hreinn J. Stephensen
Pétur Thomsen
Curator: Jonatan Habib Engqvist

With support from: The Goethe Institute, Center for Icelandic A