“Graphic Friends” (Grafíkvinir) was established to support printmaking in Iceland. Each year, one artist is chosen to create an edition which is then sold to Graphic Friends for a very reasonable rate. Proceeds go to the Icelandic Printmakers Association.
The landscape, similar to a human subject, is always changing and is hard to pin down in a moment. Weather conditions, seasons, lighting, natural forces and human interference all have an effect on what is perceived. Add to the mix access, point of view, types of equipment used in capture, films, and format. Then comes choice of chemicals and length of development time. The film may be scratched, pushed, pulled, scanned and manipulated, much like the body when attempting to face nature. The process of depiction mimics the effect of time on the landscape. Paper is chosen and the image is coaxed out in a bath of colors, chemicals, light and time. Several times. The final result becomes more than a single snapshot.
During the period that Iceland Film Photography Association (Félag filmuljósmyndara á Íslandi) maintained its darkroom at the SÍM artist residency on Seljavegur (Jan 2015–Aug 2018), we were visited by 18 or so guest residents using analog photographic processes in their art making. I knew they were doing something special because I had met them all.
I always asked what they would be working on, at first expecting answers along the lines of ‘I’ll be developing some medium format film’. Instead I got, ‘I’m building a homemade camera’ or ‘I’m experimenting with photograms and making my own developers’. And it was not only the guest artists, but our own association members were also representing different directions in analog photography.
The result has turned out to be a wonderful sampler of alternative and traditional photographic processes that has exceeded my expectations in quality and breadth. It is to my knowledge the first show of its kind in Iceland to cover such a wide range. A big thanks to all who took part!
Special thanks to Ásgeir Ásgeirsson for his tireless contribution in making this happen, Gallerí Fold for hosting us, and Innrammarinn for getting everything ready to hang on a deadline.
Laura Valentino, August 2018
Download a pdf catalog of the show
