Iceland

In this installation, visitors find themselves at a starting point, surrounded by persistent motifs, haunted by the now, a crackle of conflict – yet also enveloping silence.

Ásta considers the present moment, attuned to the instabilities unfolding around us. She draws together layers of meaning that simultaneously hold what has vanished from sight and what has not yet come to pass. As we are lured through the exhibition by decoys of everyday life, blueness envelops us, replenishing our imagination.

As multiple dimensions are compounded in the Icelandic Pavilion, we pause for a moment to glimpse what is otherwise concealed. Ásta activates time itself, the terrain between imagination and consecration (remember, don’t get sidetracked from your heart). A collection of orbs offers us opportunities, a chair becomes a clue, a boat intones a melody, voices call out – we regain our bearings, breathing calmly.

Ásta’s work invites us to wonder, to forget and to see our own reflection. Here, where there are no boundaries, generosity prevails. Our return lies over the open ocean – grounded once more by the everyday, we head towards the voice, buoys guiding the way. We sign a pact and continue the journey with light in our open palms.