Sigurður Guðjónsson to present multisensory installation Perpetual Motion at Iceland's Venice Biennale pavilion

Sigurður Guðjónsson will represent Iceland at the 59th Venice Biennale with a large-scale installation titled Perpetual Motion. The work features two moving image projections and a soundscape, staged as a split-screen setup with a six-meter-high vertical screen and a floor projection filling most of the Arsenale pavilion space. Guðjónsson describes it as a poetic exploration of materiality, space, energy, time, and motion, aiming to create a meditative experience through sculptural use of sound and video. He collaborated with composer Valgeir Sigurðsson on the soundscape. The artist cites early video art pioneers Steina and Woody Vasulka as influences, alongside Icelandic musicians like Anna Þorvaldsdóttir and Ben Frost. Guðjónsson recalls his first Venice visit in 2005 to assist Gabríela Friðriksdóttir's installation Versations / Tetralogia. He looks forward to seeing Marco Fusinato's experimental noise project at the Australia Pavilion, the main exhibition The Milk of Dreams curated by Cecilia Alemani, and Yunchul Kim's representation of South Korea. The biennale runs from 23 April to 27 November 2022. Guðjónsson emphasizes the importance of such international platforms for Iceland's small visual art community of 300,000 inhabitants, noting it helps artists expand their reach and connect globally. He views art as a universal language rooted in Iceland's storytelling traditions, such as the Icelandic Sagas, and highlights the country's vibrant music scene.