 |
| |
 |
| Snorri Ásmundsson |
| Til Þín / To You |
| 19. 07. 2003 - 04. 08. 2003 |
| |
Never will I forget the moment Snorri Ásmundsson first entered the classroom 1.D in the Glerar elementary school, in Akureyri. He was so little. My first thougt was that perhaps he had been raised one class up and were therefore a year younger than the rest of us. That turned out to be incorrect, and I was soon to discover in Snorri a sparkling intelligence and a fun-loving kid in spite of his size, or lack thereof. He turned out to be so fun-loving that today a boy of such character would be sent directly to the school psychiatrist or worse. His competitiveness was apparent and cought my attention, as did his extraordinary dreams of the future. In Akureyri, as in many small communities, the youth´s wildest dreams of the future revolve around having children of their own and Snorri was in that respect unique in his class and even had to suffer bullying, for in small communities the inclination is to discourage or belittle those outstanding. But this has all proved to be a blessing. The american comedian and academy award winner Robin Williams was hyperactive as a child. This comes as a surprise to no one who has seen Williams on the Tonight show and other quality television shows where he energetically jests and jokes, to the degree of offending, especially the elderly. If the famous actor were a child today he would be prescribed Ritalin. One can well imagine that if he would have got his medecine, which he so thoroughly deserved, for he was, after all, such a good boy, he would have been spared the hardship of his youth, but then he would not have become the magnificent artist he is today. The same applies to Snorri Ásmundsson. One cannot be spared the catharsis essential for joining the league of the chosen. It would be better to kill the children at birth. Af course there are those who lie, cheat and sweet-talk their way to this exclusive group, but history will judge them. What, for example, has Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson sacrificed? The answer is obvious. Nothing.
Millions of people around the world make a living from belittling their fellow men, and nothing can be done about it. Not everyone does this. Snorri Ásmundsson has from the beginning stood up for the underdog and the righteous. This is appearent in Ásmundsson´s contribution to culture ant the arts. Unselfishly, he has created works of art that not only encourage people to realize their dreams, but also serve to expand the dreams of the ordinary man. Ásmundsson has a solid connection to the people of this country, having held jobs as a fisherman and in a soda pop factory no name but a few. In this artist coincide a noble soul and a limitless eagerness for satisfying creativeness. His creative process has no limits for the possibilities of Man and individuals within the species are limitless. Last year he was made honorary citizen of Akureyri and for that occation a bust was made of the artist. Now, for the first time the citizens of Reykjavik are given the opportunity to view this sculpture that has been said to capture the artists perspective on the muses and the greatest creation of all: Man himself.
The latest work of Snorri Ásmundsson has religious overtones and is currently being displayed at the gallery Kling & Bang. The artists has relentlessly sought god and has finally, after all these years, made contact. It has given him new strength that is concentrated in a new, powerful video in which the artist hangs upon the cross of the Icelandic nation, believing not for a single moment that god has forsaken him. But whether the Icelandic nation has forsaken him remains to be seen until the presidential election next year.
Agnar Eggertsson
|
| |
Snorri Ásmundsson was born in Akureyri, Iceland in 1966.
He began his education in the arts very early on at the Akureyri School of Visual Arts and has developed his exceptional talents as a painter since that time. He has held ten private gallery showings, has taken part in many collaborative projects, both in Iceland and abroad, and has been an active associate in a number of artistic happenings, all to great review.
Snorri developed and ran the International Gallery of Snorri Ásmundsson, located on Akureyri's renowned Artists Way, from 1994 to 1997, and now operates, along with ten other artists, Gallery Kling og Bang on
Laugarvegur 23, in Reykjavik.
Mr. Ásmundsson is President and Knight of the Akureyri Academy and the leader of the Left Right Revolution political party. He represented his party in the 2002 Reykjavik mayoral elections, narrowly missing out to the incumbent mayor, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir. He is Directing Manager of the Santa Barbara Painting Service, a company that has gained much respect in its
field. he was made an Honored Citizen of Akureyri in 2000 and again of Seyðisfjörður in December 2003. Few, if any, Icelanders have that distinction. |
| |
|
|
|
|
Grandagarđur 20 - 101 Reykjavík
kob@this.is |
