Interview: Börkur Anarson - director of I8 Gallery

Exterior view of I8 Gallery, Iceland 2010.

Obviously it would be interesting to hear your version of how the financial crisis has influenced a gallery like yours?

With the economic situation it has been a bit strange, because it didn’t have the effect that we expected it to have. But 70- 80 % of our clients are based elsewhere than here in Iceland, so we weren’t really hit hard locally. We used the time as well to move, before the crisis we were in another location, so there were a lot of work going on at the same time with the gallery – we also changed a little bit of the program and came back at art fairs that we hadn’t been doing for a while. So it’s hard to say if it has in fact affected us at all.

Do you think this has to do with your good foundation in the art world outside of Iceland?

This is a small place, and sadly there aren’t many galleries, and not many working internationally, so it’s hard for us to compare to anything, and we haven’t really done it either. Our gallery is now 15 years old, and the only way to learn how to do this, was to look at the galleries that we knew from elsewhere in Europe. So the way we do things are our own way; and somehow, with a very clear program and a very clear idea about what we are showing, we have managed to attract people that have been with us for a long time. And we don’t have many clients in prison (laughter) – the young bankers were simply not attracted to contemporary conceptual art, but in buying paintings that their bossed had! So we didn’t really see this crazy move of money – not many of those people came, and it might be a sign of how the sensible smart people are drawn to good works.

When you started your gallery 15 years ago, how was the gallery situation in Iceland at that time?

It was non-existing (laughter)! I mean, it was always ‘artist-run’. There has always been a few spaces with a lot of energy, but mostly it was spaces ‘for rent’, so you as an artist would find yourself a space, pay for the weeks or months or whatever it would be, buy the wine, print out the invitation cards – so there were no gallery scene, really. It was my mother and I that started I8, and for the first ten years I also had some other things to do, so I only joined full force a couple of years ago, but we never thought of it as a business – the first ten years we were just trying to make good exhibitions, working with artists we would like to work with, and there was no money or business involved. There were only little sales, and for us it was just a passionate thing to do. – But then it sort of grew, and gradually became a good place for artists to be represented. And we have had amazing exhibitions. We have shown a lot of artists just for once from around the world – for instance we made a show with Elmgreen & Dragset in the late 1990s, and Olafur showed with us the first time in 1997, and now recently we have done shows with Ernesto Neto, Hamish Fulton, Anthony McCall, and they loved doing exhibitions with us here.

So a lot of the artists you represent in the gallery are living abroad?

Yes, most of them. So there is a lot of telephone, a lot of e-mail, a lot of travel.

Exterior view of Kling & Bang, Iceland 2010.		Exterior view of Nylo, Iceland 2010.

What about the clients from abroad you told me about – do you also do your sales through the telephone or do they actually come by?

They come here! That’s the funny thing – they do come. And it has been increasing over the last few years. And that helps – because if I8 Gallery was located in Berlin or in Copenhagen or in New York it would be just another gallery and nothing special. Iceland is an odd place. If you go to Copenhagen there are a lot of good galleries, here there are artist-run Kling & Bang, and Living Art Museum and gallery Águst, which are really trying. So the scene here is a little strange, because due to our location we have to do a lot of art fairs, a lot of travel. But the fact that we are struggling doing this here in this location, it’s interesting and surprising to people. And the fact that we really believe in our program and stick to it – I think that people notice that, and a lot of artists are willing to do shows with us, which is good.

Most of your artists are from Iceland, but then you also have a few others.

How do you choose whom to work with?

We have Lawrence Weiner from abroad, and Olafur has an Icelandic passport, but is very much an international artist, Roni Horn is also from NY, Karin Sander who lives in Berlin, and more and more we try to do one or two shows a year with an artist we have not shown before. So this year we are showing a Spanish artist, and this is something that is quite important to us. But everything is very long term with us, and we have to really believe in it and it has to fit in - we have no interest in being spontaneous.

So you didn’t get any of the ‘funny money’, because you think in longer perspectives….?

No funny money – surprisingly enough! I mean, you could see the funny money in Europe as well – in the art fairs, when you were doing sales they we all done within 30 minutes, whilst those same sales are now taking place in three months. So I think it’s a much nicer atmosphere now.

It certainly corresponds more to the way art is being made...

Absolutely! And if you want to buy a piece that costs 50.000 €, you want to spend a little time thinking about it, read the book before you buy it, think about other works, and, you know, come back to it, instead of all this quick sales.

It seems that a lot of people within the art scene – also the gallerists – are actually quite happy with the ‘consequences’ of the financial crisis, because all the speculation and quick money are out, leaving the place for a renewed focus which are more aligned with art itself.

Maybe it’s going to correct itself? And we are falling straight back to the same?

No, I don’t think so. At least not for the next 5-10 years…

But you guys must hate us over there in Denmark? Because of the ‘Icelandic businessman’; it’s a phenomenon (laughter)

Personally, I have no bad feelings towards you whatsoever (laughter). But thank you very much for this little interesting chat.

References:

Flight: www.icelandexpress.dk

Hotel: www.centerhotels.com

Art:

Nylo - the Living Art Museum: www. nylo.is

Kling & Bang: www.this.is/klingogbang

I8: www.i8.is

Restaurants:

Silfur: www.silfur.is

Fish Company: www.fiskfelagid.is

Exterior view of I8, Iceland 2010.