TAKE ME ON | HANNES LÁRUSSON  
27.11.2004 | 16.01.2005

Through a diversity of approaches - sculpture, installation, public works and multiples - Hannes Lárusson has firmly situated himself as one of Iceland’s most unique contemporary artists.  Though not limited to a signature style of production, his exhibitions often incorporate time-based elements such as video, sound and performance. In effect, the installations that he creates act as a theatre stage, with his sculptures serving as props, and he himself, the artist, assuming the role of an eccentric character of Icelandic society. 

In his installations, Lárusson often merges traditional Icelandic craft techniques with conceptual art. He questions the place of local traditions within the context of today’s global culture.  His work embodies the “local,” not only as a necessary criteria for his own self-orientation in a multi-centered society, but as a means to explore and critique the role of artists living and working in Iceland, a recently popularized northern culture. 

As Lethbridge artist and professor James Graham writes, “Hannes is both a traditionalist and master satirist; an Icelander deeply proud of his culture yet sharply critical of its membership.” 

Hannes Lárusson’s prolific level of production for over twenty-five years has led to a celebrated exhibition record that spans various countries throughout North America and Europe. Lárusson received an MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax.