In May of 2007 Robert Malinowski and Paul Fortin participated in the Gil Society’s visual arts residency in Akureyri, a town situated in the chilly northern fjords of Iceland. Organized by the society and supported by the Municipality of Akureyri, the residency allowed for unencumbered experimentation and creation in this unique and vibrant community. A cultural hotspot located in this otherwise chilly climate, the town of Akureyri has embraced all that encompasses the spirit of artistic creation. It has set the stage for the production, exhibition and enjoyment of music, literature and visual art for both the local and visiting population by restoring the long dead industrial buildings of town into vibrant workspaces, galleries and cafés.
Using their time in the studio to play and experiment with imagery found in the diverse landscapes and stories of Iceland, the pair set out to collaborate on drawings in this unique laboratory setting. The residency culminated in the launch of the exhibition Jökulhlaup at Populus Tremula, a vibrant exhibition space, cabaret and publishing house representing Akureyri’s artistic underground. The exhibition was made up of twenty nine drawings executed by the pair during their stay and focuses on the relationships between individuals, landscapes and the drawings themselves. Jökulhlaup, which in Icelandic refers to glacial flooding caused by a volcano erupting beneath an icecap, speaks metaphorically of both the flood of creation that Robert and Paul embraced during their stay in Akureyri as well as the spirit of the town itself - the flood of artistic thought and vision erupting underneath the frozen industry of Akureyri to carve a new path and transform the artistic landscape.
