Liverpool artwork of the week 2010-47. ‘Gloria: A study for an Opera II (2010)’ by Hrafnhildur Arnardottir AKA ‘Shoplifter’ in City States (NICE Nordic Pavilion) 18 September – 28 November 2010
One of the highlights of the Biennial for me has been the City States pavilions in the Contemporary Urban Centre. There are large exhibitions spread across the building from the Nordic countries, Jerusalem, Vilnius, The Caribbean, Quebec and SE Asia.
The Nordic pavilion is also part of the NICE festival which runs from 18 November – 2 December 2010.
Hrafnhildur Arnardottir AKA ‘Shoplifter’ from Iceland (now based in New York) explores the use and symbolic nature of hair. She is well known for her collaborative work with the singer and actress Björk, who has often worn her hair sculptures. Her obsession has evolved into an exploration of human hair’s significance to visual and material culture.
She has created a site-specific artwork using the industrial architecture of the CUC and the backdrop of Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle skyline. She contradicts the site by creating a wild growing forest of man-made and natural materials which erupt into an untamed and volcanic flow of flourescent materials.
