BRAUER MUSEUM OF ART

BORDERS BY STEINUNN THÓRARINSDÓTTIR

OPENING RECEPTION AND ARTIST TALK Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, 5 – 7 p.m.

THE BRAUER MUSEUM OF ART

is delighted to present Borders, an acclaimed sculpture installation by the noted contemporary Icelandic artist Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir (b. 1955). After popular displays in New York City, Seattle, Dallas, and Chicago, Borders comes to Valparaiso University to intrigue campus and community viewers with its life-sized figures and themes of sameness and difference. Thórarinsdóttir's Borders figures in their relationships treat a concept that is timely and urgent. The figures observe invisible borders that keep them forever separated, and yet the similarities between the pairs, and among all the figures, acknowledge a shared nature that attracts and transfixes them. Viewers experiencing the silent dialogue between the paired iron and aluminum figures realize that, while difference may initially gain attention, what sustains this symbolic and eternal exchange is empathy and respect. The figures are different and yet the same, just like the real people who inspect and pose with these sculptures and who each day experience differences with fellow humans that they try to resolve and comprehend as they inhabit the same spaces, essentially limited by borders both external and internal.

Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir Borders, 2009-2011 Eleven pairs of life-sized sculptures, cast iron and aluminum Photographs by James Ewing and Murray Head

Hosting this sculptural installation would not have been possible without the vision and support of Josephine L. Ferguson '46. From admiring the artist's 2009 installation titled Horizons at the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park to visiting the artist in Iceland and acquiring a piece for the Brauer's permanent collection,

Ferguson's interest in Thórarinsdóttir's work has been enthusiastic and unwavering. Thanks to Ferguson's ambition and wish for the Brauer Museum and Valparaiso University's campus to be the best they can be, we now have a grand and incredible work of art to share with the viewers of the Midwest who can enjoy Borders in a peaceful campus setting. Ferguson advocated to bring Borders to Valpo in order that it might impart themes of diversity and understanding unto students, faculty, and community members. That both Ferguson and Thórarinsdóttir stress this sharing of such lovely human concerns says much about their characters and brings even greater beauty to this remarkable sculpture installation. We at the Brauer Museum of Art are grateful for the support of the following individuals and Valparaiso University departments that made the installation of Borders possible: Valparaiso University President Mark A. Heckler, Rudolf Adamczyk, Richard H.W. Brauer, Campus Planning and Space Allocation Committee, Nina Corazzo, Richard DeMaris, Facilities Management, Terrence Karpowicz, Advancement, Integrated Marketing and Communications, Partners for the Brauer Museum of Art, John and Gloria Ruff, and Eric Stephenson. Gregg Hertzlieb, Director/Curator Brauer Museum of Art

ARTIST’S STATEMENT Borders is an installation made of two different materials, cast iron and aluminum. The figures are based on my son´s body, and that brings them closer to us as a family. The installation comments on the contrasts in life and the human condition in the two materials, light and shadow, heavy and light, heaven and earth. It comments on the opposites of human existence — on division, but also on the concept of unity and the fact that we are all connected despite our differences. The work is presented in a reflective and mirroring way, as if in silent conversation. Viewers can experience themselves as a connecting force over a type of border that forms between the mirroring pairs. The installation engages the viewers in a direct and intimate way, as the figures occupy the same space as we do and encourage interaction. The figures can be seen as symbols of humanity and cultural diversity.

Fair, Art Miami, San Francisco Art Fair, San Diego Art Fair, Palm Beach Art Fair, Miami International Art Fair, Art Southampton, Copenhagen Art Fair, and the Toronto International Art Fair.

Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir with her artwork. Photographs by James Ewing and Murray Head

STEINUNN THÓRARINSDÓTTIR BIOGRAPHY Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir has been working as a sculptor for 35 years. She studied in England and Italy.

the Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park. The display of Borders in Chicago was extended twice due to popular demand.

Since 1979 Thórarinsdóttir has exhibited widely, with solo shows in Iceland, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Canada and the United States. Her outdoor installation Horizons has been traveling the U.S. since 2007 and is currently in the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama. The show is scheduled to continue in the coming years, with the next stop at the Orlando Museum of Art in Florida in 2014.

Thórarinsdóttir has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Europe, Japan, Australia and the U.S. Among them are Scandinavia Today, an exhibition touring the U.S. and Japan; the Beijing Biennale, China; Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney, Australia; Kolonialen, the opening exhibition of the North Atlantic Bridge in Copenhagen, Denmark; Heads, Figures and Ideas at Osborne Samuel in London; Fresh Figures and Abstractions at Scott White Contemporary in California, the National Gallery of Iceland, and the Reykjavík Art Museum; and Sculpture at Pilane in Sweden with seven other sculptors, among them Tony Cragg, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and Jittish Kallat.

In spring 2011, Thórarinsdóttir´s public art installation, Borders, was on display at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza by the United Nations Headquarters, in collaboration with New York City Public Parks. Borders was exhibited in 2012 in Westlake Park in the heart of Seattle, in 2013 in the Dallas Art District, and in Chicago´s Grant Park in the Solti Garden by

Her work has been seen at many art fairs through the years, such as the Cologne Art

Thórarinsdóttir´s work can be seen in many prominent public and private collections worldwide. Among them are the National Gallery of Iceland; the City of Reykjavík; the collection of Carl XVI Gustav, the King of Sweden; the State Hospital in Copenhagen; the Danish Banker´s Association; Hall Financial Group in Texas; Kathryn Hall Vineyards in California; Royal Carribbean; Cliff Lede Vineyards; the Estate of Sir Rocco and Lady Forte in England; the University of Aberdeen, Scotland; the City of Hull in England; the Elgiz Museum, Istanbul; the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art; the Brauer Museum of Art, U.S.; Mission Hill Family Estate, British Columbia, Canada; and Cawdor Castle in Scotland. Thórarinsdóttir has created numerous permanent public art projects through the years, both indoors and outdoors, many of them site specific. Thórarinsdóttir has been a guest speaker at the Art in Public Space Symposium in the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney and has lectured at the Sydney Art School; the Cleveland Art Institute; Cleveland State University; the Goethe Institute in Toronto; the Sculpture Society of Canada; Concordia University, U.S.; the San Antonio, Texas Botanical Gardens in collaboration with the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center; Governor´s State University in Illinois; Cedar Crest College and Baker Center for the Arts in Pennsylvania; the Georgia Museum of Art; and the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama.

From 2009 to 2013 Thórarinsdóttir was on the Board of Directors at the International Sculpture Center, U.S. Thórarinsdóttir has received numerous awards and grants during her 35-year career. Among them is the Order of the Falcon granted by the President of Iceland for her contribution to the visual arts in Iceland and abroad. Her works have been featured in many publications, among them the New York Times; Wall Street Journal; Art Newspaper; The Times, London; Sculpture Magazine; the Sunday Telegraph in Australia; Seattle Times; the Chicago Tribune; the Chicago Sun Times, Where Magazine, and many more. An award-winning documentary has been made about Thórarinsdóttir´s work by American filmmaker Frank Cantor, titled Horizons: The Art of Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir. Thórarinsdóttir´s work is represented by Osborne Samuel, London; Scott White Contemporary, San Diego; Odon Wagner Contemporary, Toronto; and Galerie Egelund, Copenhagen.

BRAUER MUSEUM OF ART Valparaiso University Center for the Arts 1709 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46383 Phone: 219.464.5365 • Fax: 219.464.5244 [email protected] valpo.edu/artmuseum

MUSEUM HOURS: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sunday: Noon – 5 p.m. Closed Monday

This exhibition was made possible through the Brauer Museum of Art, Josephine L. Ferguson '46, and Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir.