Heimir Björgúlfsson
ARCTICS ARE NOT FOR EVERYONE
Oct 24 – Nov 6, 2021

Heimir Björgúlfsson’s installation, Arctics Are Not For Everyone, exists somewhere between a decorative window display and a vitrine-ensconced cabinet of curiosities. A number of three-dimensional assemblages, recalling both Surrealistic sculptures and rogue taxidermy spectacles, are set against a backdrop of seemingly hand-drawn wallpaper and gaudy pink neon signs. Through their awkward combinations, the sculptural works examine how animal species adapt to changing habitats and endure the effects of urbanization and climate change alike. They also function as a kind of cultural trophy, presented as if products on display in a trendy souvenir shop. The wallpaper consists of black and white illustrations of bird’s feet, as if functioning as a pseudo-Darwinian evolutionary classification system. The scientific stringency of these illustrations are, however, undermined by the neon overlay of a giant pink talon, casting its eerie glow. Another pink neon sign wraps around the corner, presenting various iterations of the phrase arctics are not for everyone, depending on where one happens to be standing. Overall, the installation, presents a purposefully ambiguous take of humanity’s clash with the broader natural environment, embracing the awkwardness of such situations and the coincidental narratives that might take shape from such interactions.

Heimir Björgúlfsson is an Icelandic artist born in Reykjavík and currently living and working in Los Angeles, California. He holds a BFA from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and an MFA from the Sandberg Institute, both in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He also studied Sonology at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands. Björgúlfsson has been exhibited in various solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States, such as The Living Art Museum, Reykjavík; Kópavogur Art Museum, Kópavogur, Iceland; Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, Netherlands; W139, Amsterdam; Gemeente Museum, The Hague; Reykjavík Art Museum, Reykjavík; The Biennale for International Light Art, Ruhr, Germany; Stenersen Museum, Oslo; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery.

WINDOW DRESSING is an annual cycle of short-term installations in the window vitrine on the exterior of the Fine Arts Building. Individual installations run for two weeks only.

Due to Covid restrictions, during the Fall semester the Cerritos College Art Gallery's Main Gallery will be closed, however, the Window Dressing installations can be viewed safely from outside in the open air (all visitors must remain masked and maintain proper social distance).

https://www.cerritos.edu/art-gallery/main-pages/exhibitions_2021_windowdressing.htm