Birgir Snaebjorn Birgisson / b. 1966, lives & works in Reykjavik, Iceland
birgirsb@internet.is / birgirsnaebjorn.com / ig: birgirsnaebjorn
Education: École des Arts Décoratifs, Strasbourg, France, 1991–1993, Multimedia / The Icelandic College of Art and Crafts, 1986–1989 / Akureyri College of Art, Iceland, 1985–1986
Birgir Snæbjörn Birgisson addresses political, social and historical issues in the present day. He expertly combines sensitivity and tenderness with the sober content of his work. His work reaches from paintings via installation on site to photographs. What connects all the different media is the issue of how identities are made and shaped, distributed and retold, rooted and rebounded. The work underlines the actively politicized versions of what is beautiful and how that is used and abused – from any sides of the equation, wishes, wants and fears. The earnest, murmured narrative conjured up by Birgir compels the onlooker to address critical thinking, by unveiling the innocent character and all the gentleness that emanates from his work.
Solo Exhibitions:
Cultural House Berg, Dalvik, Iceland, “Pride”, Sept.–Nov. 2023 / Palshus, Olafsfjordur, Iceland, “Fake Flowers”, June 2023 / The National Gallery of Iceland, “Careless Whispers”, Feb.–June 2022 /Corridor, Reykjavik Iceland, “Justice”, Oct.–Nov. 2017 / Hafnarborg Museum, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, “Hope”, Oct.–Nov. 2016 / Corridor, Reykjavik, Iceland, “My name is Democracy” April–May 2015 / Helsinki Contemporary, Finland, “Ladies, Beautiful Ladies”, Nov.–Dec. 2014 / ASI Art Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland, “Ladies, Beautiful Ladies”, Sept.–Oct. 2014 / Gallery Boreas, “Bridge Art Fair”, (solo presentation), Miami, USA, Dec. 2009 / Gallery Turpentine, “Humility”, Feb–March 2008 / Reykjavik Art Museum, Kjarvalsstadir, Iceland, “Blonde Miss World 1951–”, Nov. 2007–Jan. 2008 / Gallery Boreas, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA, “Portraits On The Edge”, June–July 2006 / St John´s church, Notting Hill, London, England, “Blond Professions”, May–June 2006 / Kopavogur Art Museum, Iceland, “Touching”, Jan. 2005 / Gallery Hlemmur, Reykjavik, Iceland, “Hopscotch and other games, 1998–2000”, May–June 2001 / Kopavogur Art Museum, Iceland, “Blonde Nurses”, Jan. 2001 / Gallery Bosom (travelling gallery), Iceland, Feb. 1998 / Gallery 20 m2, Reykjavik, Iceland, “Four Monitors”, Feb. 1998 / Gallery Corridor, Reykjavik, Iceland, Dec. 1997 / The Living Art Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland, “Two Dimensions – Two Visions”, May–June 1997 / Gallery Greip, Reykjavik, Iceland, “Paintings without figures”, Oct.–Nov. 1995 / Vid Hamarinn, Gallery, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, April 1995 / Listhusid Thing, Gallery, Akureyri, Iceland, Oct. 1994 / Window Gallery, Akureyri, Iceland, July 1994 / Gallery Greip, Reykjavik, Iceland, Feb.–March 1994 / Djupid Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland, Sept.–Oct. 1990
Group Exhibitions:
Exeter Phoenix, UK, “Linger”, July–Sept. 2025 / Hafnarborg – the Hafnarfjordur Centre of Culture and Fine Art, Iceland, “Linger”, Feb.–May 2025 / BlackBird Rook, UK, “Value Value Value”, Feb.–March. 2024 / Y Gallery, Kopavogur, Iceland, “ Opnun”, April 2023 / Helsinki Contemporary, Finland, “Lust For Life”, Sept.–Oct. 2022 / Idno Culture House, Reykjavik Arts Festival, “Missing in Action”, June 2022 / Akureyri Art Museum, Iceland, “Embrace”, Jan.–May 2022 / Norrtalje Konsthall, Sweden, “Embrace”, Oct.–Nov. 2021 / Helsinki Contemporary, Finland, “Working on It”, January 2020 / Duktus Bau, “In Situ”,Hirzenhein, GermanyJune–August 2019 / Berg Contemporary, “Louder than Bombs”, Reykjavik, Iceland, May–June 2019 / Arnesinga Art Museum, Hveragerdi, Iceland, Aug.–Oct. 2018 / Elverket, Tammisaari, Finland, “By Water” June–Sept. 2016 / Kunstkraftwerk, Leipzig, Germany, “Let’s get Physical” May 2016 / Helsinki Contemporary, Finland, “Remain in Light” June 2015 / Reykjavik Art Museum, Kjarvalsstadir, Iceland, “Just Painted” March–June 2015 / Reykjavik Art Museum, Asmundarsafn, Iceland, “A Posteriori: House, Sculpture”, Sept. 2014–Jan. 2015 / LA Art Museum, Hveragerdi, Iceland, “Points of Contact”, July–Sept. 2014 / Akureyri Art Museum, Iceland, “Icelandic Portraiture”, June–August 2014 / Norska Husid, Stykkisholmur, Iceland, “Pixelated time”, June–August, 2014 / Bjorkholmen Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden, “The Pleasure Principle”, April–May 2012 / Kopavogur Art Museum, Iceland, “Cyborgs”, Jan.–Feb. 2012 / Kopavogur Art Museum, Iceland, “Osyn”, Nov. 2011–Jan. 2012 / Kling & Bang Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland, “The Pleasure Principle”, Oct.–Nov. 2011 / Studio Stafn, Reykjavik, Iceland, “Hringekjuthrahyggja”, June 2011 / North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, USA, “Into The Tussock”, June–August 2010 / National Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland, “Wistful memory”, March–May 2010 / Akureyri Art Museum, Iceland, “Rhyme”, June–August 2010 / Tintype Gallery, London, England, “Stripped away”, Feb.–March 2010 / Gallery Turpentine, “You are more beautiful than a butterfly”, Reykjavik, Iceland, May 2009 / Reykjavik Art Museum, Asmundarsafn, Iceland, “Rhyme”, May 2009–May 2010 / Tallinn Art Hall, “Happy together”, Estonia, Jan.–March, 2009 / Hangar-7, Salzburg, Austria, “Herna”, Sept.–Nov. 2007 / Gallery Boreas, Lenox, MA. USA, “Hyper states”, Aug.–Sept. 2007 / Ketilhusid Gallery, Akureyri, Iceland, “Skyldi eg vera thetta sjalfur!”, Aug.–Sept. 2007 / Goteborgs Konsthall, Sweden, “Painting, Space and Society”, June–August 2007 / Gallery S-West, Keflavik, Iceland, “Pure Horror”, June–July 2007 / Kopavogur Art Museum, Iceland, “Indigo”, Golden Brush, Jan.–Feb. 2007 / Kunsthalle, Kunstverein, Bremerhaven, Germany, “Tiere auf Grasshockern”Sept. 2006 / Gallery Boreas, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA, “Portraits on the edge II”, August 2006 / Hoffmannsgallery, Reykjavik Iceland, “Kennd vid tilfinningar”, summer 2006 / Living Art Museum, Reykjavik Iceland, “Cold Climates”, March 2006 / 3 Colts Gallery, London, England, “Black Bile”, April, 2005 / National Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland, “New Icelandic Art”, Nov. 2004–Jan. 2005 / Seven Seven Gallery, London England, “then …part 7, Silent Reading”, Oct.–Nov. 2004 / APT Gallery, London, England, “Cold Climates”, April 2004 / Phoenix Gallery, Brighton, England, “then …part 6, Developments”, Feb. 2004 / Gallery Corridor, Reykjavik, Iceland, (also curator), “One day”, Jan.–March 2004 / ASI Art Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland, “then …part 5, Recent Encounters”, Jan.–Feb. 2003 / Reykjavik Art Museum, Kjarvalsstadir, Iceland, “then …part 4, Remembered Structures”, Jan.–Feb. 2003 / Los Angeles, USA, Miniature, touring show, jan. 2003 / Tokyo, Japan, Miniature, touring show, feb. 2003 / Century Gallery, London, England, “14×14”, Dec. 2002 / Kopavogur Art Museum, , Iceland, “Gallery Hlemmur”, July–Aug. 2002 / Akureyri Art Museum, Iceland, “Akureyri in art II”, July–Aug. 2002 / Proje4L, Istanbul, Turkey, “Stop for a moment painting as narrative”, Apr. 2002 / Century Gallery, London, England, “then …part 3”, Apr. 2002 / Seven Seven Gallery, London, England, “GIANT 2”, Des. 2001 / Seven Seven Gallery, London, England, “then …on line drawing”, Oct. 2001 / Thorshavn Art Museum, Faroe Islands, “The Golden Brush”, Aug. 2001 / The Joint Scandinavian Embassies, Berlin, Germany, “The Golden Brush”, July–Aug. 2001 / Velasalurinn, Gallery, Vestmann Islands, Iceland, Apr. 2001 / Deutsche Bank, London, England, “Cross-Currents”, March–May. 2001 / Reykjavik Art Museum, Kjarvalsstadir, Iceland, “The Golden Brush”, Jan.–March 2001 / Akureyri Art Museum, Iceland, “Periscope”, Apr.–May. 2000 / Gallery Corridor, Reykjavik, Iceland, “Golden Brush”, Jan.–March 1999 / Listaskalinn, Gallery, Hveragerdi, Iceland, “Young Artists”, Apr.–May 1998 / Listhusid Thing, Gallery, Akureyri, Iceland, Feb. 1998 / Reykjavik Art Museum, Kjarvalsstadir, Iceland, “Close to the Body”, Jan.-Mar. 1998 / Vestsjaellands Kunstmuseum, Soro, Denmark, “Close to the Body”, Sept.–Oct. 1997 / Bow Arts London, England, Sept. 1997 / Alvar Aalto Museum, Jyvaskyla, Finland, “Close to the Body”, March–May 1997 / Henie Onstad Museum, Oslo, Norway, “Close to the Body”, Jan.–March 1997 / Norrkoping Art Museum, Norrkoping, Sweden, “Close to the Body”, Nov.–Dec. 1996 / Gallery Greip, Reykjavik, Iceland, “Final Show”, Nov. 1996 / Hafnarborg, Gallery, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, “Icelandic Portrait”, June–July 1996 / Akureyri Art Museum, Akureyri, Iceland, “Love”, June 1996 / Gallery Greip, Reykjavik, Iceland, Jan. 1996 / Vid Hamarinn, Gallery, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, “Take her home”, Nov. 1995 / Reykjavik Art Museum, Kjarvalsstadir, Iceland, “Some kind of everyday romanticism”, Oct.–Dec. 1995 / Vid Hamarinn, Gallery, Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, March 1995 / Deiglan, Gallery, Akureyri, Iceland, “Saloon”, Oct.–Nov. 1994 / Gallery Faubourg, Strasbourg, France, “Ca marche?”, Dec. 1992 / Djupid, Gallery, Reykjavik, Iceland, Jan. 1991
Selected publications:
Hope Truth Faith Justice, Hunang, 2022
Ladies, Beautiful Ladies, Crymogea, 2014
Blonde Miss World 1951–, Listasafn Reykjavíkur 2007
Touching, 1994
Works in Public and private collections:
National Gallery Iceland
Reykjavík Art Museum
Kopavogur Art Museum
Akureyri Art Museum
North Dakota Art Museum, Grand Forks, USA
University of Iceland Art Collection
Icelandair Art Collection
Safn Art Collection
Hangar-7 Art Collection, Salzburg, Austria
David Bowie Art collection
Various private collections
Curating:
Linger, Exeter Phoenix, UK, 2025
Linger, Hafnarborg – the Hafnarfjordur Centre of Culture and Fine Art, Iceland, 2025
Raw Power, 2021, Erro show at the Reykjavik Art Museum, Hafnarhus, Iceland.
Traces of Water, 2016, Hafnarborg, Centre of Culture and Fine Art, Hafnafjordur Icleland
One Day, 2004, Corridor gallery, Reykjavik
Other:
Vice chairman of the Icelandic Fine Arts Council, 2025–2028
Owner and curator of Gallery Sign, Reykjavik: ig: galleryskilti
One of featured artists in Iceland public tv. doc. series, Opnun, screened spring 2023
Board member of the Reykjavik Art Museum acquisition, 2022–2023
Part time teacher at the Iceland Academy of the Arts
Also taught at:
Academy of Fine arts, Helsinki
Reykjavik School of visual Arts
Lectures, participation in panels, both in Iceland and abroad
Former member of the board of the Living Art Museum
Allocation committe member for various grants and more
One of featured artists in Iceland public tv. doc. series, Opnun, screened spring 2023
Ongoing Collaboration:
Birgir Snæbjörn Birgisson and Mika Hannula, writer and curator have collaborated since 2002, after first meeting in Istanbul working on the show, Stop for a Moment, Painting as Narrative at Proje4L, Istanbul Turkey. Not only have they collaborated on numerous shows in different places but also several publications.
