Lecture by Christel Pedersen - “Self-made”

The Icelandic art scene of the 1960s and 70s was characterized above all by a “self-made” and independent spirit. Self-managed venues proliferated, and ties with artists and art communities abroad grew. 

While the Icelandic public had, until then, little knowledge of international art movements, exhibitions featuring renowned international artists such as Robert Filliou, Ben Vauthier, Gábor Attalai, George Brecht, Daniel Spoerri, Vito Acconci, Endre Tót, Petr Štembera, Mary Beth Edelson, Sef Peeters, Carolee Schneemann, Bas Jan Ader, and Douwe Jan Bakker alongside local artists were held one after another in Reykjavík during this period. At the same time, Icelandic artists were invited to exhibit not only in self-managed venues but also in major public institutions abroad: at the Stedelijk Museum and Fodor in Amsterdam, at the Paris Biennale, and at the Centre Pompidou during the first few months after its opening in 1977.

The project by Christel Pedersen, the 2019 recipient of the Institute’s Research and Creation Support Program, “Greetings from Reykjavík – Disseminated Archives,” aims to trace this development by examining forms of exchange and communication in a pre-globalization, pre-internet world. This lecture aims to present a selection of visuals and documentation from the archives of “artist-run initiatives” in Reykjavík, to discuss the role of photography in these exchanges, the blurring of boundaries between creation and documentation, the network as an emancipatory force, and the “living archive.”