Heimir Björgúlfsson
Encyclopedia
Heimir Björgúlfsson is an Icelandic artist born in Reykjavik
, Iceland
in 1975. Heimir lives and works in Los Angeles
, California
. He holds a BFA from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy
and an MFA from the Sandberg Institute, both in Amsterdam
, The Netherlands. He also studied Sonology
at the Royal Conservatory
in The Hague
, The Netherlands.
, Iceland
in 1975 and lived there until 1997 when he moved to The Hague
in The Netherlands to study Sonology
at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
. In 1998 he moved to Amsterdam
to study Fine Art
at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy
where he graduated with a Bachelors degree in 2001. Then he went on for postgraduate studies at the Sandberg Institute, also in Amsterdam, where he graduated with a Master degree in Fine Art
in 2003. Since 2005 Heimir lives and works in Los Angeles
, California
.
Heimir has been exhibited in various solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe
and the United States
, such as The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik
(2001 and 2003 solo); Kópavogur Art Museum, Kópavogur
, Iceland
(2002); Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands (2001 and 2004 solo); W139, Amsterdam
(2004 solo); Gemeente Museum
, The Hague
(2006); Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik
(2010); The Biennale for International Light Art, Ruhr
, Germany
(2010); Stenersen Museum, Oslo
(2011); and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2012). See the full Curriculum Vitae at Heimir's official website.
Heimir was a founding member of the experimental music
band Stilluppsteypa
from 1992 until he left in 2002. During that time they produced 19 releases and toured both Europe
and The United States, as well as appearing on 16 compilation releases. He also has 9 releases out both as solo and in collaboration with Jonas Ohlsson, as well as 13 compilation appearances. After that he was a member of the experimental improvisation
band The Vacuum Boys who have 2 releases out to date. See the full discography at Heimir's official website.
He ran the record label FIRE.inc.
from 1993 until 2003 and put out 24 releases by artists such as The Hafler Trio, Stilluppsteypa
, Akira Yamamichi, Stock Hausen & Walkman, Vindva Mei, irr.app.(ext.), Skúli Sverrisson
, Carl Michael von Hausswolff
, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson and Reptilicus.
Heimir has been featured in such publications as Tema Celeste, Artnet
, Artweek, The Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle
, Huffington Post, Temporary Art Review, ArtScene, Coagula Art Journal
, ArtsHouston, The Houston Press, Metropolis M, The Wire
, The Guardian
, The Independent
, De Volkskrant
, Computer Arts and Morgunbladid. See the full bibliography at Heimir's official website.
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
in 1975. Heimir lives and works in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He holds a BFA from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy
Gerrit Rietveld Academie
-Profile:More than 45% of the student population comes from abroad, originating from over 60 different countries around the world. Most of the classes are in English...
and an MFA from the Sandberg Institute, both in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, The Netherlands. He also studied Sonology
Sonology
Sonology is a neologism used to describe the study of sound in a variety of disciplines.In medicine, the term is used in the field of radiology to describe the practice of medical ultrasonography....
at the Royal Conservatory
Royal Conservatory of The Hague
The Royal Conservatory of The Hague is a conservatorium of music, providing higher education in music and dance, it is located in The Hague, Netherlands.-The Conservatory:...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, The Netherlands.
Biography
Heimir was born in ReykjavikReykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
in 1975 and lived there until 1997 when he moved to The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in The Netherlands to study Sonology
Sonology
Sonology is a neologism used to describe the study of sound in a variety of disciplines.In medicine, the term is used in the field of radiology to describe the practice of medical ultrasonography....
at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
Royal Conservatory of The Hague
The Royal Conservatory of The Hague is a conservatorium of music, providing higher education in music and dance, it is located in The Hague, Netherlands.-The Conservatory:...
. In 1998 he moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to study Fine Art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy
Gerrit Rietveld Academie
-Profile:More than 45% of the student population comes from abroad, originating from over 60 different countries around the world. Most of the classes are in English...
where he graduated with a Bachelors degree in 2001. Then he went on for postgraduate studies at the Sandberg Institute, also in Amsterdam, where he graduated with a Master degree in Fine Art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
in 2003. Since 2005 Heimir lives and works in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Heimir has been exhibited in various solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, such as The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
(2001 and 2003 solo); Kópavogur Art Museum, Kópavogur
Kópavogur
Kópavogur is a city and Iceland's second largest municipality, with a population of 30,779.It lies immediately south of Reykjavík and is part of the Greater Reykjavík Area. The name literally means seal pup bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
(2002); Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands (2001 and 2004 solo); W139, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
(2004 solo); Gemeente Museum
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag
The Municipal Museum is an art museum, located in The Hague, Netherlands.The museum was built by the Dutch architect H.P. Berlage. It is renowned for its large Mondrian collection, the largest in the world...
, The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
(2006); Reykjavik Art Museum, Reykjavik
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
(2010); The Biennale for International Light Art, Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(2010); Stenersen Museum, Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
(2011); and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2012). See the full Curriculum Vitae at Heimir's official website.
Heimir was a founding member of the experimental music
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
band Stilluppsteypa
Stilluppsteypa
Stilluppsteypa is an abstract/experimental electronic band founded at the start of the 1990s. Beginning as a punk band in the mould of Crass, The Ex et al., it soon evolved into an experimental outfit, consisting of Heimir Björgúlfsson, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson and Helgi Thorsson. Heimir left the...
from 1992 until he left in 2002. During that time they produced 19 releases and toured both Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and The United States, as well as appearing on 16 compilation releases. He also has 9 releases out both as solo and in collaboration with Jonas Ohlsson, as well as 13 compilation appearances. After that he was a member of the experimental improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
band The Vacuum Boys who have 2 releases out to date. See the full discography at Heimir's official website.
He ran the record label FIRE.inc.
FIRE.inc.
FIRE.inc. was an independent record label run by Heimir Björgúlfsson between 1993 and 2003.- History :FIRE.inc. started as a collective of four bands who put on a couple of concerts together at a small run down basement space of a building complex called Hlaðvarpinn in downtown Reykjavik, Iceland,...
from 1993 until 2003 and put out 24 releases by artists such as The Hafler Trio, Stilluppsteypa
Stilluppsteypa
Stilluppsteypa is an abstract/experimental electronic band founded at the start of the 1990s. Beginning as a punk band in the mould of Crass, The Ex et al., it soon evolved into an experimental outfit, consisting of Heimir Björgúlfsson, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson and Helgi Thorsson. Heimir left the...
, Akira Yamamichi, Stock Hausen & Walkman, Vindva Mei, irr.app.(ext.), Skúli Sverrisson
Skúli Sverrisson
Skúli Sverrisson is an Icelandic composer and bassist residing in New York City.Over the past two decades, bass guitarist-composer Skuli Sverrisson has worked with a veritable who’s who of the experimental world, from free jazz legends to music icons Skúli Sverrisson (born 23 October 1966) is an...
, Carl Michael von Hausswolff
Carl Michael von Hausswolff
Carl Michael von Hausswolff is a composer, visual artist and curator based in Stockholm, Sweden. His main tools are recording devices used in an ongoing investigation of electricity, frequency, architectural space and paranormal electronic interference...
, Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson and Reptilicus.
Heimir has been featured in such publications as Tema Celeste, Artnet
Artnet
artnet is an online service provider for the international art market with headquarters in New York, Berlin and Paris. Additionally, artnet has regional offices in China, the UK and Russia.- Business model :...
, Artweek, The Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, Huffington Post, Temporary Art Review, ArtScene, Coagula Art Journal
Coagula Art Journal
Coagula Art Journal was founded in 1992 by Mat Gleason as a freely distributed contemporary art magazine. Since its inception, the publication remains free as a PDF download, however readers may still obtain a hard copy via "print on demand"....
, ArtsHouston, The Houston Press, Metropolis M, The Wire
The Wire (magazine)
The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, De Volkskrant
De Volkskrant
de Volkskrant is a national daily Dutch morning newspaper, the leading centre-left broadsheet, although now in tabloid size.-History:...
, Computer Arts and Morgunbladid. See the full bibliography at Heimir's official website.
External links
- Heimir Björgúlfsson official website.
- Heimir Björgúlfsson at Bryan Miller Gallery
- Heimir Björgúlfsson at Barbara Seiler Galerie
- Heimir Björgúlfsson at Discogs.
- The Vacuum Boys official website.
- The Vacuum Boys at Discogs.
- Stilluppsteypa at Discogs.
- FIRE.inc. at Discogs.
Further reading
REVIEWS- Sasha Dela "Main Street Galleries" Temporary Art Review, March 21, 2011.
- Douglas Britt "Heimir Björgúlfsson: Must-See Exhibit" Houston Chronicle 29-95, March 11, 2011.
- Kelly Klaasmeyer "Floating Stones: Heimir Björgúlfsson at CTRL Gallery" Houston Press, March 11, 2011.
- Mat Gleason "Heimir Björgúlfsson at Western Project", Huffington Post, July 14, 2010.
- Tracy Zollinger Turner "No End To It", Columbus Alive, June 24, 2010.
- "ARRAY" by Brandon Lamson, ArtsHouston, November 2007.
- "ARRAY" by Dusti Rhodes, Houston Press, 18 september 2007.
- "Range" by John O'Brien, ArtScene Vol 26. No 5 January 2007.
