Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir

Opens Saturday, May 9

The Icelandic Art Center presents Pocket Universe, a new multidisciplinary exhibition by artist, poet, composer and filmmaker Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, representing Iceland at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. The exhibition focuses on shifting perspectives through hope, imagination and belief, proposing that even in times of instability, a shift in mindset can open up new possibilities.

Ásta's practice can be described as a form of "spiritual fluxus", with a dream-like quality that blends different worlds and artistic disciplines. Working across sound, performance, moving image, sculpture and installation, she creates shifting experiences where it can be difficult to tell where one element begins and another ends. Rather than following a linear narrative, her work brings together different storylines and timelines, allowing layered worlds to appear and disappear. There is no fixed interpretation, only traces and clues that guide each viewer towards a personal, emotional understanding.

Presented at the Icelandic Pavilion's new location at Docks Cantieri Cucchini, a former shipyard between the Giardini and the Arsenale, Pocket Universe unfolds across interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces. Moving between the cosmic and the everyday, the exhibition combines playful, surreal elements with moments of contemplation, encouraging visitors to wander, linger and follow their own path. Conceived as an exhibition of encounter rather than spectacle, the work takes shape as a constellation of fragments that evolve throughout the Biennale through live actions and performances. Objects are charged and activated through the artist's presence, while gestures and actions appear briefly, unexpectedly, and return over time.

In Pocket Universe, Ásta proposes an invitation to a starting point, focusing on ideas of beginnings, the dismantling of existing systems, and how they might be reimagined. Myths, stories, journeys and adventures recur throughout the work. A boat appears, voices call out, and lights guide the way, evoking the promise of departure and a new destination.

At the heart of the presentation is a moving image work, depicting a character called "Creature Zero" setting out to find the "original rock", imagined as the first step in the creation of the earth. Filmed across sites associated with ‘invisible' mystical energies, the work draws on stories and myths from different cultures, weaving together multiple elements into a shared, universal tale. What connects these narratives is the act of world-making and the role of faith and belief in shaping how people move forward.

Across the exhibition, Ásta reflects on how we trick ourselves into new ways of thinking. Themes of luck, chance and opportunity run throughout Pocket Universe, emerging through playful structures that resemble games, where returns to square one remain possible. Orbs, charms and talismans appear as small, charged objects, brought to life by the artist. Familiar rules are suggested, but outcomes remain unknown, allowing space for transformation through risk, play and the navigation of uncertainty.

Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir says: "We are at the threshold of different times. In moments like this, imagination and intuition have the capacity to orient us, to offer a sense of direction for where we might be heading. I believe small things can spark large actions. Sometimes all it takes is an idea, a touch of hope or faith, a vision. So much depends on perspective: whether we see the world as fixed, or as something that can be restructured. When reality feels locked or chaotic, it becomes difficult to imagine change, or even to recognise possibility. The exhibition explores these ideas through myths and tales, destiny and free will, shifts in perspective, and the visual language of luck and hope, while asking how we protect the fragility of the soft and the unknown as we thread a new fabric into our story. There is a gentle rebellion in choosing to be present, especially within a world that constantly pulls at your attention. I'm drawn to simple moments, to people gathering and creating a shared atmosphere, something collective. For me, imagination is not an escape, but a tool for shifting how we look at things, for seeing challenges as openings rather than dead ends."

Margrét Áskelsdóttir, curator says "I see the Pavilion as a reminder – a reminder of our inner power. Speaking through charms, myths and objects associated with intangible energy, the exhibition suggests that what we choose to believe in shapes what becomes possible. Rather than focusing on critique or fragmentation, Ásta offers a quieter, more hopeful mode of engagement, opening a space for interaction, contemplation and the imagining of alternative ways of thinking, and reminding us of the invisible threads – like the sky above – that connect us all."

Iceland has participated in the International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia since the 1960s and has presented its own national pavilion since 1984. Recent presentations include Hildigunnur Birgisdóttir's That's a Very Large Number – A Commerzbau (2024), Sigurður Guðjónsson's Perceptual Motion (2022) and Shoplifter's Chromo sapiens (2019). The Icelandic Pavilion is commissioned by the Icelandic Art Center, which promotes and supports Icelandic contemporary art internationally through grants, collaborations and projects. The National Gallery of Iceland is an official partner of the Icelandic Pavilion.

Ásta studied at the Iceland University of the Arts and is a prolific poet with five published books. In recognition of her contributions to multidisciplinary art, she was nominated for the Bernard Heidsieck Prize by the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2021. Her work has been featured in exhibitions and performances at Reykjavík Art Museum, Ars Longa Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, Casino Luxembourg, Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm and Onassis in Athens.

Commissioner: Icelandic Art Center, Cecilie C. Ragnheiðardóttir Gaihede

Curators: Margrét Áskelsdóttir, Unnar Örn Auðarson