SEATTLE, WA.- The National Nordic Museum opened a new exhibition by famed Icelandic sculptor Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir (Thórarinsdóttir) on Saturday, July 15. The exhibition, titled Wayfinders, features 13 life-sized cast-aluminum sculptures, which will guide the Museum’s visitors through its outdoor and indoor public spaces. Wayfinders considers life’s journey, including travels and resettlement abroad, through the placement of figurative sculpture. Though modeled after the artist’s two sons, the sculptures are anonymous forms that highlight human connectivity. Þórarinsdóttir encourages this interpretation by inviting visitor interaction with her sculptures.
“Wayfinders is a powerful and moving exhibition that will resonate with all visitors,” said Leslie Anne Anderson, Chief Curator at the National Nordic Museum, who organized this exhibition and worked closely with the artist. “Steinunn’s sculptures are a testament to the human spirit and our shared journey through life.”
After discussions with Anderson, Þórarinsdóttir remembered the story of Friðrik Sigurðsson, her great-uncle who left a remote farm in east Iceland to create a new life and identity as a barber named “Fred” in Brooklyn. She then conceived of making “a weave of figures that would be placed in strategic areas outside and inside the Museum.” She went on to explain: “The museum building became an open border so to speak. There is a feeling of movement from place to place referencing an immigration of sorts, a new beginning, an alien but exciting experience. This weave of connected human figures references the influx of Scandinavians that came to America to fulfill a dream.”
Visitors to Wayfinders can also learn about the artist’s creative process through over 30 watercolors, a medium which serves as her starting point, as well as interpretive video of her work in the studio.
The Wayfinders exhibition in Seattle has been made possible by Icelandair with additional support from ArtsFund, Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, and 4Culture.
Steinunn Þórarinsdóttir was born in Reykjavik, Iceland. She lived in England and Italy, where she trained as a sculptor. Steinunn has been working professionally for close to 40 years and has exhibited widely in Europe, Japan, USA, and Australia. Her works are in private, public, and corporate collections worldwide. She works in various forms of sculpture and uses many different materials for her artistic expression. Þórarinsdóttir has through the years done numerous commissions both indoor in specific spaces, as well as site-specific outdoor work. In 2009, she was awarded the Order of the Falcon by the President of Iceland for her creative contributions to Iceland and the world. The artist lives and works in Reykjavik, Iceland.
