Colossos: Anna Sigmond Gudmundsdóttir
Anna Sigmond Gudmundsdottir's second solo exhibition at Gallery Gudmundsdottir, titled "Colossus," opens on September 7, 2024, exhibiting her latest works.
The title honors the first programmable electronic digital computer, developed in 1940’s. This choice reflects the relationship between human creativity and the precision of programming. In her works, this connection manifests in her meticulous attention to line work. Each line in her expansive pieces is painted freehand with a precision that evokes the calculated rigor of a machine, yet retains the expressive touch of the human hand. Through this, Gudmundsdottir explores the dynamic relationship between manmade creativity and digital precision, blurring the boundaries between organic artistry and the mechanical logic of computation.
Sigmond Gudmundsdottir’s work is defined by contrasts. Chaotic beginnings on the canvas—liquid paint flowing freely—are shaped by monumental, calming lines. Her art blends physicality with contemplation, drawing inspiration from lines found in both nature and the built environment: tracks in old asphalt, furrows in spring soil, and digital remnants in forgotten spaces. The lines on her canvases create shapes that seem to materialize and dissolve, shifting between foreground and background. This interaction results in a visual experience that captures the tension between order and disorder, reflecting the constant push and pull of life.
"Colossus," examines how digitalization shapes our imagination and our perception of painting as an authentic object in a transient information culture. Her recent works, with a more figurative approach, place bodies in landscapes where interiors, objects, and animals move like shadows—disconnected yet connected, evoking a sense of vulnerability and confrontation.
Sigmond Gudmundsdottir underscores the continued relevance of painting in the digital age. She contrasts the tactile, concrete nature of painting with the transient digital world, emphasizing the authentic presence of the physical act of creation.
