Steina retrospective at Haus der Kunst spans five decades of video art
Haus der Kunst in Munich has opened "Steina: Playback," a major retrospective covering over 50 years of work by the pioneering video artist Steina (born Steinunn Briem Bjarnadóttir, 1940, Reykjavík, Iceland). A classically trained violinist, she began working with video in 1970, treating the camera as a musical instrument and emphasizing the exchangeability of image and sound. Her practice incorporates play, performance, and real-time interfacing of musical instruments with video tools. The exhibition is organized not chronologically but as an orbit through her cosmos, featuring her invented tools and highlighting themes of playback, repetition, and looped temporalities.
Key facts
- Steina was born in 1940 in Reykjavík, Iceland.
- She is a classically trained violinist.
- She began working with video in 1970.
- The exhibition is titled 'Steina: Playback'.
- The retrospective covers more than five decades of her work.
- The exhibition is held at Haus der Kunst in Munich.
- The show is organized as an orbit rather than a chronology.
- Her work treats the camera as a musical instrument.
Entities
Artists
- Steina
- Steinunn Briem Bjarnadóttir
Institutions
Locations
- Munich
- Germany
- Reykjavík
- Iceland