Publication on Visual Art 2023

The Visual Arts Council Publication Award goes to art duo Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir and Mark Wilson for their publication Debatable Lands: Dialogues from Shared Worlds. The book is noteworthy for a comprensive and particulary sophisticated presentation of meaningful material that offers a unique insight into Bryndís’s and Mark’s creative thinking, but they have been at the forefront of artist-driven research in the last two decades. The book Debatable Lands is a collaborative project, published in connection with two exhibitions that ran simulteneously in Gerðarsafn in Kópavogur and Akureyri Art Museum in autumn 2021.

This is an independent publication that gives the reader access to the duo’s artistic thinking and methodology in the growing field of artist-driven research. Among authors is Mark Dion, who in his foreword delinates a clear picture of the duo as pioneers. Their conversation with Terike Happoja further deepen the reader’s understanding of the ideological premises of their works and experiences, which has shaped a certain outlook on life and forms the basis of their artistic practice. Two other texts, by Æsa Sigurjónsdóttir and Rose Birrell, broaden the reader’s perspective, from art historical and philosophical viewpoints. The works themselves are given a thorough description throughout the book with photographs and a short text about each one. The book is edited by Æsa Sigurjónsdóttir.