Last days of the exhibitions: Erró and Art History, and, bears; truths... by Kathy Clark

The final day of the exhibitions Erró and Art History and bears; truths... by Kathy Clark at Hafnarhus is Sunday 19 October.

Erró and Art History
Art history has always been an important source of inspiration for Erró. As an art student he made copies of the work of well-known artists in order to learn from their art. In 1955, when he was working at his art in Florence, he created expressive works many of which clearly referenced the work of such artists as Uccello, Marini and Tamayo.

In 1962–1963 Erró started to combine his own images with copies of the work of such artists as Bosch, Vélasquez, Modigliani and Picasso. Since 1964 he has gone yet farther, making collages and paintings based entirely on printed material such as cartoons and photojournalism, as well as the works of other artists.

Erró appropriates the works of famous artists in order both to tell their story, and to subvert their works to create new narratives. Picasso, Matisse, Miró and Léger feature prominently in his work. His choice of images reflects the suitability of the formal structure and imagery of the works for copying – and not least Erró’s huge respect for these artists.

Kathy Clark: bears; truths...
An installation displaying thousands of teddy bears, the artist heavily manipulates these pre-owned toys. At one time fulfilling their fundamental natural objective of companionship to the children of Reykjavík, these soft and cuddly teddies served an important purpose. They were brought to bed and slept with, dragged around, dressed, nurtured and cried to. Sadly, like most things, they eventually lose their usefulness and are abandoned.

Clark‘s installation radiates a psychological perversion that she has single-mindedly plotted out using a system of her own. The anarchic disarray of stuffed toy bears that are, either singularly or altogether, waxed, tied up, sewn, glued, emptied, mangled – are schemes to conjure and orchestrate memories, including a sense of dejection, abandonment, and neglect.

Kathy Clark (b. 1957) lives and works in Reykjavik since 2005 and she has exhibited her works in Iceland and United States. Clark completed her master studies at San Francisco Art Institute in 1985, after receiving her undergraduate degree from San Diego State University.