Sigurður Guðmundsson (b. 1942, Iceland)
Waiting for Kristjan, 2010-2019

Andersson/Sandström, Stockholm, Sweden / Visited on 11/02/2020

How could I tell if this work’s relevance for my practice is most superficial or very deep? I cannot. I don’t have a clue what it is about. The guy is just running around in the gallery. But in postmodernism that recognises depth as many surfaces piled upon each other, it is also difficult to tell them apart, or to motivate why one would be more important than the other by default.

On the formalist level it reminds me of my last year art jog project where I was jogging between the galleries, stopping by to watch the show and catch my breath. Jogging does not entertain me, art does not make me slim – but what if I merge the two, was my question. Next step was to consider how to frame it as art. Then – how to process all the artistic ideas and materials accumulated during the process. Something seemingly absurd turned out into something productive – who could have known?

Title of Guðmundsson’s piece is also reflecting my album of field recordings entitled “Waiting to be heard”, containing ambient sounds surrounding me while waiting for various things. There are a lot things going on while one is waiting – if you are only paying attention. So there may be some links between our subject matters as well.

Otherwise I admire Guðmundsson’s conceptual witty works. Sometimes I can articulate an insight they trigger, sometimes I am just happy for him to short-circuit my brain for a split second.