Steinunn Thorarinsdottir

Icelandic artist Steinunn Thorarinsdottir uses androgynous, life-size human figures, in aluminium and cast iron, in her most notable exhibits Borders and Horizons. Borders, a 26-piece exhibit was originally sculpted for exhibition in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in 2011. The figures are divided into 13 pairs which mirror each other. Each pair includes a cast iron and an aluminium figure. After their time in NYC, Borders traveled to Dallas, Seattle, Chicago, and was on display at Valparaiso University in Northwest Indiana from 2014-2016. Borders is currently displayed at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park in Hamilton, Ohio. Horizons is comprised of 12 life-size figures; making appearances at the Georgia Museum of Art, Knoxville Museum of Art as well as locations in Alabama, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Illinois. The figures, each in a unique pose, are made of cast iron and are cohesive as a collection by the band of polished glass around their chests. The artist explained the significance of her choice in materials: “The color of the iron signifies their primal quality—as if they are emerging from the earth” while “Glass as a material has a lot of different connotations. It can be fragile, yet dangerous. It can be translucent, or solid. . . It's like water, but also like air.” The exhibit was showcased in the documentary Horizons: The Art of Steinunn Thorarinsdottir directed by Frank Cantor and featuring music by Björk. The film, exploring the human condition through Steinunn's work, was awarded a Cine Golden Eagle, Special Jury and Masters Award from the International Cine Festival in Washington, D.C. in 2009.