Iris Dina Gunnarsdottir
Text by Art Exchange from the group exhibition 'Precarious'
Iris Gunnarsdottir is an artist and ceramist who explores concepts of equality and mutual support from within a feminist framework.
While artist-in-residence at the University of Essex, Iris created communal activities to bring students together, such as making their own piggy banks out of clay. These gatherings were the catalyst for further conversations about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on students’ lives.
To preserve participants’ anonymity, these conversations were recorded and then acted out by Iris who becomes both interviewer and interviewee, as our students reveal their hopes and dreams for the future.
Iris Gunnarsdottir lives and works in Essex. She has exhibited widely including the Shadows at the Benham Gallery, Colchester (2022) and The Interviews at Art Exchange, Colchester (2020) where her work was displayed alongside photographs by Claude Cahun.
Video work
Iris' conceptual art explores concepts of equality from within a feminist framework by interviewing people in her community. This type of work is visualised and performed through video installations, photography and drawing.
Ceramics
As a maker and ceramist, Iris focuses on perfecting the quality of her work. It is important to her that there is a minimum of waste and a focus on natural resources. Iris strives to make objects for the home with a sustainable approach and an aesthetically pleasing simplicity.
Workshops
Teaching and leading workshops has become a key element of my practice, I design and lead art workshops for many different organisations such as Firstsite, Art Exchange, Colchester MakerSpace and We are the Minories.