ABOUT THE ARTIST
GUÐJÓN KETILSSON (b. 1956) lives and works in Reykjavik, Iceland. In his over forty-year career he has held over thirty solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions internationally, i.e. Australia, China, the Nordic countries, Spain and the US, as well as in most art museums and art spaces in Iceland.
Ketilsson is the recipient of the Artist of the Year 2019 award in Iceland, among other art prizes.
In his works, Ketilsson is mainly occupied with drawing and sculpture. His sculptural works integrate a range of intersecting formal, spatial, material and art historical interests. His study of the human condition is mostly through its primary vehicle, the body and how through its absence and presence, time, memory and history can be explored. In his recent works he explores language, writing and drawing as cognitive tools, as direct extensions and testimonials of our thinking processes. He explores possibilities of regarding text as drawing, of text as image. Found objects that man has designed according to his needs but has set aside, are often given a different role, a kind of afterlife, in Ketilsson's sculptures.
His recent exhibition projects include a solo show in Reykjanes Art Museum, Iceland (2019), several group exhibitions in Iceland (2018) and The International Print Center in New York (2017).
His works belong to collections of all main art museums in Iceland, as well as to art museums abroad, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His art works have been commissioned for and can be seen in various places in public space, in Iceland.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS FROM 2000
• 2021 Murmur, Listamenn gallery, Reykjavik
• 2019 Teikn, Reykjanes Art Museum, Reykjanesbær, Iceland
• 2019 Smiðsbúðin, Reykjavík
• 2018 Stories, Wind and Weather Window Gallery, Reykjavík
• 2017 New Works, Kompan, Alþýðuhúsið, Siglufjörður, Iceland
• 2017 One set – Bare between, Harbinger Gallery, Reykjavík (with Jóhanna K.Sigurðardóttir)
• 2016 Paintings, Hverfisgallery, Reykjavík
• 2016 Sidetrack, The Corridor Gallery, Reykjavík
• 2014 New Works, Hverfisgallery, Reykjavík
• 2012 Cairn, Gallery Sign, Reykjavík
• 2012 Melancholia, The Shed, Reykjavík
• 2012 Extensions of the Head, Luise RossGallery, New York City, USA
• 2011 Coherence, Hafnarborg Centre of Culture, Iceland (with Hildur Bjarnadóttir)
• 2011 Crymogea Publication House, exhibition at the launching of a publication on the works of Guðjón Ketilsson
• 2010 Imprints, Luise Ross Gallery, New York City, (with Guðrún Kristjánsdóttir)
• 2009 Roles, ASÍ Art Museum, Reykjavík
• 2009 Et Cetera, Icelandic Folk Art Museum, Svalbarðsströnd, Iceland
• 2009 Pardon Statues, Reykjavík City Library
• 2005 Á Seyði, Angró, Seyðisfjörður, Iceland (with Birta Guðjónsdóttir)
• 2004 Tools, ASÍ Art Museum, Reykjavík
• 2003 Cloud, Hallgrímskirkja Church, Reykjavík
• 2000 Fragments, ASÍ Art Museum, Reykjavík
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS FROM 2000
- 2021 Circuits, Svavarssafn Art Museum, Höfn, Hornafirði, Iceland
- 2021 Multiples by contemporary Icelandic Artist, Reykjanes Art museum, Iceland
- 2021 Safnasafnið /The Icelandic Folk and Outsider Art Museum, Summer show
- 2020 Landvist, Stóra Klofa, Landsveit, Iceland
- 2020 What it Seems - Reality on Canvas 1970-2020, Kjarvalsstaðir, Reykjavik Art Museum
- 2020 Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Tendenser 2020, F15, Moss, Norway
- 2020 Material:Wood, Hafnarborg Culture Centre, Iceland
- 2020 After All, Gerðarsafn - Kopavogur Art Museum, Iceland
- 2019 Condition: Draft of Contemporary Art History in Iceland, Reykjavík Art Museum
- 2019 Treasures of a Nation, The National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík
- 2018 Other Hats - Icelandic Printmaking, The National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík
- 2018 Dialogue across generations, LÁ Art Museum, Hveragerði, Iceland
- 2017 Upstairs, Hverfisgallerí, Reykjavík
- 2017 Houses, Arion Bank, Reykjavík
- 2017 Other Hats - Icelandic Printmaking, International Print Center, New York City
- 2017 Literally, Hafnarborg Culture Centre, Iceland
- 2016 Hairy Matter, PLADS Artspace Aarhus, Denmark
- 2015 Turning twisting, Clay7, Stykkishólmur, Iceland
- 2014 1884-2014 – Selected works from the collection, The National Gallery of Iceland
- 2014 Summer Show, Hverfisgallery, Reykjavík
- 2014 A posteriori: House, Sculpture, Reykjavík Art Museum
- 2014 Iceland, Artists respond to Place, Scandinavia House, New York City
- 2014 Iceland, Artists respond to Place, The Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, New York
- 2013 Nordic Triennial of Contemporary Art; Eskilstuna, Sweden
- 2013 Under the Clear Sky, Reykjavík Art Festival
- 2013 Old Treasures, The National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík
- 2012 Betoni Laboratoriet, Samsø, Denmark
- 2012 Pleasure & Functionality, Árnesinga Art Museum, Hveragerði, Iceland
- 2012 From Iceland, Luise Ross Gallery, NewYork City
- 2011 Insight, The Factory, Hjalteyri, Iceland
- 2011 Perspectives – On the Borders of Art and Philosophy, Reykjavík Art Museum
- 2010 2010 Beijing International Art Biennale, China
- 2010 Þjóðleg fagurfræði, Árnesinga Art Museum, Hveragerði, Iceland
- 2010 Into the Tussock - Contemporary Art from Iceland, The North Dakota Museum of Art, USA
- 2010 I Vesterveg, Bergen, Norway; Torshavn, Faroe Islands; Copenhagen, Denmark; Lerwick, Shetland
- 2009 In Deep Water, Hafnarborg Cultural Center, Iceland
- 2009 Collectors, Hafnarborg Cultural Center, Iceland
- 2009 Valleys and Hills, Ólafsdalur, Steingrímsfirði, Iceland
- 2008 Picasso in Iceland, Árnesinga Art Museum, Hveragerði, Iceland
- 2008 Water Carrier, Reykjavík Art Museum
- 2008 Wanwood, Reykjanes Art Museum, Iceland
- 2007 Kulturremisen Brande, Brande, Denmark
- 2006 Group Exhibition, Gallery Turpentine, Reykjavík
- 2006 Painting after 1980, The National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík
- 2006 Sense in Place, Site-ations International, Zaragoza, Spain
- 2005 Quantity equals Quality, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavík
- 2005 K2005, Roda Steen, Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2003 NKS Dalsåsen, The Nordic House, Reykjavík
- 2003 Reykjavík Association of Sculptors´ Anniversary Show, Reykjavík Art Museum
- 2003 Ferðafuða, ReykjavíkArt Museum
- 2001 2001-Dalsåsen, Nordic Art Center, Dalsåsen, Norway
- 2001 Sculpture by the Sea, Tasmania & Sydney,Australia
- 2000 The Coastline, Art in Public Space,Reykjavík
- 2000 Teglt í tré, Árnesinga Art Museum, Hveragerði, Iceland
WORKS IN PUBLIC ART COLLECTIONS
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
The Arkansas Art Centre Foundation, Arkansas, USA
Municipality of Samsø, Denmark
The National Gallery of Iceland, Iceland
Reykjavík Art Museum, Iceland
The Living Art Museum, Iceland
Telemark County, Norway
The Nordic House, Iceland
South District Tax Office, Iceland
Arion Bank, Iceland
Siglufjörður Healthcare Centre, Iceland
Siminn, Iceland Telecommunication Inc. Iceland
AWARDS
• 2020 Artist of the Year, Iceland. Presented by The Icelandic Visual Arts Council
• 2004 The Children’s Choice Award for book illustrations, Gerðuberg Cultural Centre, Reykjavík
• 2001 Award of the Library Fund of Authors, Iceland
• 2000 DV Cultural Award for Visual Art, Iceland
• 1998 Award on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Einar Jónsson Museum, Reykjavík
EDUCATION
• 1980 Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Canada
• 1978 The Icelandic College of Art and Crafts, Reykjavík