While strolling along the main street of Reykjavík you inevitably notice a bright yellow triangle with a red border which reads “Start Art.” Start Art is an art gallery at Laugavegur 12b, but those words might also be a good motto for the city itself. Art in every form is welcome here—be it a little gnome placed in the rocks near a house, graffiti of tie-tying instructions on a wall, paintings, sculptures or the unusual design of a house. My impression is that the artist’s goal here is self-expression, the sharing of free flowing ideas, with gaining recognition and commercial success being secondary; a nice bonus.

Review by Victoria Cross. Photos courtesy of Start Art.
 
Since Iceland is a relatively young country, you encounter mostly contemporary art here.  What I find most appealing about it is its openness to interpretation. You are not led to a conclusion, but left to do your own thinking. Since there aren’t any rigid rules in contemporary art, there is no comparison, just free falling, liking or disliking. Through this the art serves the most authentic of its purposes—to open a person’s mind to something new, to stretch its limits.

Start Art is a small, two-floor gallery that will be celebrating its first anniversary in March. It is a collaboration of six artists, whose styles are very different from each other, but who are united in their view of art as an ever-changing form, the door to unlimited possibilities. The most enchanting quality of Start Art is that there is no attempt to be grand; it is simple, humble and inviting. The gallery shows the works of its own artists as well as opening its doors to others.
 
Presently, there are two guest exhibitions in the gallery. There is an exhibition of Sigrid Valtingojer, a well-established Icelandic artist, best known for her prints. She has had solo exhibitions in Denmark, Japan, Spain and Italy, as well as many group exhibitions.  In the front hall you will see her “Palestinian” series.  The prints were inspired by the history and suffering of the Palestinian people. The focus of each print is the name of a Palestinian city or settlement. Some of them are well known: Jerusalem, Gaza, Bethlehem, Hebron; some are unfamiliar: Nablus, or Kafr Qasem, but each one of them has a tragic story to tell. 

"Kafr Qasem" by Sigrid Valtingojer.

The village of Kafr Qasem became the site of a massacre during the first days of the Sinai war, when 47 Arab villagers were shot as they returned home from work, unaware of a newly imposed curfew. Among the dead were women and children. The massacre and the trial that followed have become milestones in the national psyche of Israeli society; a reminder for soldiers and commanders alike that there is indeed a moral border one should abide by.
 
The names of the cities, drawn in wide uneven strokes, bring to mind tears for those who lost their lives; families driven from their own lands. Strokes of red remind us of war still going strong and blood still being shed.  In the words of the artist, “The media covers the Palestinian conflict often enough, but people are tired of listening to the news. I try to make them see the same issues from a different perspective; to attract their attention through my art.”
 
Two other halls on the same floor will show you a different series of her art work as well as an introduction to her different techniques. There are several paintings on glass with old prints used as background, exquisite black and white print, enriched with a poem, paper sculptures and drawings.
 
On the second floor you will encounter the most unusual exhibition of Elín Helena Evertsdóttir, titled “Pong”. It explores the concepts of space and time. The idea behind "Pong" is to create a real time experience for the audience with a minimum of material. Lasting three minutes and 40 seconds, the work consists of one sound that travels through the space between speakers situated alongside the wall.

Different Media by Thórdís Alda Sigurdardóttir.

The rest of the second floor holds the works of the artists who own the gallery. Bursting with flowers, the paintings of Thuríður Sigurdardóttir will cheer you up; the more earth-colored palette of Ása Ólafsdóttir’s works will fill you with warmth; and the interesting use of wax in the works of Thórdís Alda Sigurdardóttir will surprise you. When the gallery doesn’t host guest artist exhibits, the work of these artists is presented in greater variety and numbers, but even this display will give you a glimpse of their buzzing creativity.           

If you find yourself in downtown Reykjavík, tired of the crowds and window shopping, look for the Start Art gallery. The recent exhibitions will be on display through the 6th of February. The gallery keeps its doors open from 13:00 to 17:00 Tuesday to Saturday.
 
www.startart.is
Tel: +354 551 2306
Laugavegur 12b/ 101 Reykjavík
Free admission

VC – toricross@hotmail.com

Victoria Cross is originally from Moscow, but has spent the past 11 years traveling the world with her husband and two sons. She is a philologist by education but due to the constant moving has worked in a variety of fields. Most recently she spent three years in Beijing, where she created the popular web network, “Beijing Cafe.” Now she is in Iceland falling head over heels for the local art scene.