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Process, time, memory: Hildur �sgeirsd�ttir J�nsson

Traditionally, artists paint on pre-woven canvas or linen, but Hildur �sgeirsd�ttir J�nsson, pictured above in her studio, subverts that tradition. She begins by painting individual silk threads and then weaves the threads into the support surface, creating large-scale, ethereal, landscape paintings in the process.

Referencing the mountain landscape of her native Iceland, particularly Vatnaj�kull, Iceland�s largest glacier, and Hekla, an active stratovolcano, J�nsson’s labor-intensive paintings, made on a ten-foot loom, draw our attention to process, time and memory. In this video produced by Arts Prize Cleveland, J�nsson shows how she makes the paintings and discusses her relationship  to the landscape:

An installation of J�nsson’s work is on view at Pocket Utopia through Sunday, December 15.

One of J�nsson’s reference photographs taken in Iceland, where she spends the summer months.
Hildur �sgeirsd�ttir J�nsson, studies, 2013, colored pencil on paper.

Installation at  Tang Museum at Skidmore College, where J�nsson’s solo show is on view through December 29, 2013.
 Installation view, Tang Museum.

J�nsson’s work is deeply meditative, fusing image and object, art and craft. Her weaving-paintings deftly translate the breathtaking results of earth’s geologic history into sublime image poems, wonderfully conveying the fleeting nature of time and the beauty of memory.


“Hildur �sgeirsd�ttir J�nsson: a solo show,” Pocket Utopia, New York, NY. Through December 15, 2013. Closing reception on Saturday, December 14, 6-8 pm.

One Comment

  1. Nice you posted the drawings. Good article.

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