Björk and James Merry Exhibitions Open at National Gallery of Iceland

The National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík is simultaneously hosting two exhibitions: "Björk: Echolalia" and "James Merry: Metamorphlings." The Björk exhibition, curated by chief curator Pari Stave, spans three rooms and includes a video installation, a choral work, and an audio-visual experience. Works on view include "Sorrowful Soil" (2022), which features 30 speakers emitting voices of the Hamrahlíð Choir in a chapel-like setting, and "Ancestress" (2022), a video directed by Andrew Thomas Huang with masks by James Merry, depicting a funeral procession in a valley outside Jórukleif. A new work, "Nerve Bloom" (2026), created with painter Natalia Kleszczewska and digital artist Natalie Liu, uses two-sided LED screens and projection. The Merry retrospective showcases over 80 masks created over a decade, grouped into five archetypes: Ghost Orchid, Medusa, Björchid, Moth, and Stingray. Merry's masks have been worn by Björk and Tilda Swinton (at the Venice Film Festival in 2020). Highlights include a brass mask "Atenovx" (2026) that functions as a solar calendar, and masks inspired by Iron Age artifacts. Merry's process involves hand-cutting each metallic mask from a single 12-by-12-inch sheet. The exhibitions run through September 19 and October 17, 2026, respectively.