Open doors

Archetypes, ASÍ Art Museum

Fréttablaðið, February 4, 2011

Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years with her personal and refined weavings. Unlike conventional weaving, her works are three-dimensional and, if one looks closer, even four-dimensional, as the concept of time is an almost tangible element of her works. Ingibjörg participates in the creative fiber art revolution that gained momentum late in the 20th century.

In Arinstofa one can see works by Ingibjörg that are familiar from earlier shows, including a wall covering where one can see the ghost of a musical manuscript that is woven into the relief. The use of materials is delicate, and the parchment-like feeling is strong; a sense of stretched, starched skin equally connected to the body and to manuscript tradition. The body, time, and record keeping are underlying factors.

On the upper floor, Ingibjörg has set up a large installation based on old doors, probably imported from Europe, and has called it Archetypes. In general, the word refers to some sort of ancient or original symbol for a person, idea, or prototype that is known to all. The concept is worth considerable exploration, and an in-depth text by Oddný Eir Ævarsdóttir and Jón Proppe accompanies the show. The text certainly enriches the exhibition, although Ingibjörg’s installation can well be enjoyed without it. Here she has taken a jumble of wire and connected all of the doors with wire. It is as though she has harnessed them. The seven doors become a symbol for a lifetime: for the oft-repeated test of life, where doors open and close continuously and one leads to another. They are charged with internal tension, and it is clear that one short circuit could send everything flying. It is an overpowering installation.

Ragna Sigurðardóttir