HEAD2HEAD
Gallery Underpass
Hverfisgata 76, 101 Reykjavík
Wherever I Go You Come
13.10 - 01.12.2024
Opening hours: open 24/7
Artists
Maaike Stutterheim GR
Unnar Örn Auðarsson IS
Fragile, impermanent, pulsing, private, imprint, seasonal change, life cycle—
Wherever I Go You Come brings together artists Maaike Stutterheim (b. 1972) and Unnar Örn (b. 1974), whose works engage with impermanence and absence, natural cycles, familiar and urban landscapes. The exhibition shares its title with one of the exhibited pieces, and captures the essence of how subtle traces of life and memory—both human and botanical—leave their mark on the world, however fleeting.
Unnar Örn works with the unexpected beauty of weeds and infected growth—resilient, often overlooked plants and mutations that thrive in the margins of urban spaces. His stenciled forms seem to emerge from concrete walls, inspired by the surrounding vegetation. These "peeking-weeds," act as quiet rebellions, briefly taking root in an environment that resists them. Rather than simple representations, they are imprints—whispers of growth that reflect the cyclical nature of life, where resilience surfaces in the most unlikely spaces. Unnar Örn also explores absence, creating shadows and fleeting impressions rather than showing plants directly. Through these subtle imprints formed by light or the brief accumulation of leaves, his works evoke fragile memories that fade with the seasons. These gestures capture the tension between what remains and what is lost, suggesting a quiet reflection on presence, disappearance, and the intimate histories woven into the urban landscape.
Maaike transforms personal grief into a reflective journey, seeking solace in the landscapes that held deep meaning for her and her mother. After her passing, Maaike carried her mother’s urn for 40 days, returning to an island they shared for many years. Through this intimate ritual, she navigated overwhelming loss in photographs, expression, and connection. Much like the resilient weeds that persist in overlooked spaces, this work reveals the quiet endurance of memory and presence in the face of painful absence. Revisiting familiar places, swimming, and photographing these moments became a way of marking the ephemeral—a trace of her mother’s presence intertwined with her own. Ultimately culminating in a small book, this work offers a tender reflection on the universal experience of loss, where personal impressions linger even as we let go, serving as a tangible marker of the fragile balance between holding on and moving forward.
Together, these works explore the tension between impermanence and presence in both the internal and external landscapes we inhabit. Through their distinct practices, Maaike and Unnar Örn share a meditation on change itself—on the spaces in between, where life cycles unfold and transitions are constant. From the quiet rebellions of weeds pushing through concrete walls to the personal gestures of grief and memory, both artists offer a poetic exploration of the delicate balance between growth, decay, resilience, loss, and renewal.
Text by Becky Forsythe
Gallery for temporary public art situated in an underpass. Connected to Hverfisgata and a parkinglot. The space is open to public 24 hours. The gallery was created in 2021 by two artists Anna Hallin and Olga Bergmann.