Join Icelandic artist Jónsi for a conversation about his work with New York-based art critic and curator Gregory Volk. Jónsi rose to international acclaim as a member of the band Sigur Rós, and he has since expanded his genre-breaking musical approach into the visual arts. His experimental installation, Hrafntinna (Obsidian), (2021) is on view at the AGO through summer 2023. Unable to witness the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland in spring 2021 due to the pandemic, Jónsi has imagined this unique event as a sixteen-channel composition, played across 195 speakers, accompanied by a sweet and smoky scent.
Over the past two decades, Jónsi has collaborated with musicians, visual artists and filmmakers to create a robust body of work across disciplines. Working with such leading creative figures as Doug Aitken, Cameron Crowe, Merce Cunningham, Olafur Eliasson and Carl Michael von Hausswolff, Jónsi’s artistic collaborations have resulted in prestigious awards and critical acclaim. Born in Iceland in 1975, Jón Þór "Jónsi” Birgisson lives and works in Los Angeles.