NERVESCAPE IX
Shoplifter / Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir

28 August 2021—2 January 2022

Step inside and experience Nervescape IX, a stunning site-specific installation by the internationally renowned Icelandic artist Shoplifter / Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir. The exhibition marks the first solo presentation of the artist in Denmark.

Nervescape IX
The exhibition is the ninth iteration of Shoplifter´s series of site-specific work called Nervescape, installed internationally in the past decade. The work is a large-scale installation, constructed entirely out of multi colored synthetic hair hanging from floor to ceiling in detailed configurations by the artist.

Nervescape IX is an immersive environment, and the colorful work is partly inspired by the Shoplifter´s long interest in neuroscience and brain research. In the work, tangles of hair resemble nerve cells in their organic structure, but here the artist wants to impact our synapses in a more direct sense: She believes that when we are exposed to vibrant colours, it triggers the release of serotonin in the brain, making us happy.

Shoplifter / Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir 
For the past two decades, Shoplifter / Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir (b. 1969) has explored the use and symbolic nature of hair, both synthetic and natural, and its artistic potential.

Her body of work largely consists of sculptures, wall murals and installations that examine themes of vanity, self-image, fashion, beauty and popular myth. Her work is anchored between a fascination of pop culture and an admiration of folk art and handicraft. Humor also plays a large, yet subtle, role in the artist´s work.

Shoplifter’s works have been exhibited all over the world and she represented Iceland at 58th Venice Biennale in 2019.

The exhibition is curated by H.K. Rannversson and supported by Danish Arts Foundation.