Iceland's Psychedelic Hair Installation at 2019 Venice Biennale

Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir/Shoplifter will represent Iceland at the 58th Venice Biennale with 'Chromo Sapiens', a large-scale environmental installation in a former warehouse on Giudecca island. The work transforms the space into a cave-like environment using colors, sounds, and textures to intensify sensory experience. A sound piece commissioned from Icelandic metal band HAM accompanies the installation, which alludes to organic structures both micro and macroscopic. Curator Birta Guðjónsdóttir notes Shoplifter's unique textile work has been well received for over a decade. The artist's practice spans visual arts, performance, and design, exploring society's obsession with beauty and the grotesque. The Icelandic Pavilion runs from May 11 to November 24, 2019. Other national pavilions announced include Finland's Miracle Workers Collective, Austria's Renate Bertlmann, France's Laure Prouvost, Estonia's Kris Lemsalu, Lithuania's Nida Art Colony, Scotland's Charlotte Prodger, Hong Kong's Shirley Tse, New Zealand's Dane Mitchell, the United States' Martin Puryear, the Nordic countries' nabbteeri, Ane Graff, and Ingela Ihrman, Denmark's Larissa Sansour, South Korea's trio Hwayeon Nam, Siren Eun Young Jung, and Jane Jin Kaisen, and Italy's Enrico David, Liliana Moro, and Chiara Fumai curated by Milovan Farronato.