SÍM

Opening reception: Thursday, 30 October at 5-7pm

i8 Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new work by Ragna Róbertsdóttir (b.1945, Iceland). The show opens with a reception for the artist on 30 October and will remain on view until 31 December 2025. This show is Róbertsdóttir’s fifth solo presentation at i8; her first show at the gallery, one of i8’s earliest exhibitions, opened in June 1996. Róbertsdóttir’s show also celebrates the 30th anniversary of i8 Gallery, which was established in November 1995 by Edda Jónsdóttir.

Throughout her practice, Róbertsdóttir explores concepts of time, place, and materiality, with a focus on natural environments. Her reductive sculptures and installations are made using elements inherent to Iceland, such as lava rock, salt, turf, and clay. For this exhibition, Róbertsdóttir presents four installations in response to the gallery’s architecture.

In the back corner of the room, a large-scale undulating landscape spans two walls. Composed of five individual works, each features either white salt or black lava rocks encapsulated inside two prefabricated double-paned windows. Within the layers of glass, Róbertsdóttir arranged the materials to form horizon lines reminiscent of Iceland’s mountainous countryside.

Across the gallery, a wall installation made from red lava adhered directly to the wall captures the energy of the harsh, volcanic landscape within a neatly defined rectangle. Wall installations have been a longstanding feature within Róbertsdóttir’s practice, and two large wall works made from black and red lava defined her 1996 exhibition. Above a nearby threshold, a corner of the gallery is enlivened with bright green crushed glass installed in a wide horizontal line. The work’s vibrant emerald hue reflects the electric colour of the aurora borealis, which appears throughout the country this time of year.

Spanning the expansive street-facing window of the gallery, a shelf holds sculptures by Róbersdóttir that comprise of a selection of rocks cut into cubes. The material, iron-rich basaltic icelandite, is a volcanic rock native to Iceland that is particularly heavy due to its high iron oxide levels. The rock’s unique red, blue, and grey colours contribute to the artist’s study of material and form, while the group of works also function as a portrait of an environment.