{"id":9319,"date":"2016-03-02T22:21:52","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T22:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skaftfell.avistaserver.com\/?page_id=9319&#038;lang=en"},"modified":"2017-06-27T09:46:23","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T09:46:23","slug":"the-house-of-geiri","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/the-house-of-geiri\/","title":{"rendered":"The house of Geiri"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[box]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>During summer private tours have to be booked at skaftfell@archive.skaftfell.is or at the gallery from 12-18. Price is 2500 ISK per session and max 5 persons.<\/li>\n<li>A tour of Geirahu\u0301s is also possible as a part of a sightseeing tour by Sey\u00f0isfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur Tours, www.seydisfjordurtours.com.<\/li>\n<li>NOTE: The house is closed to the public during winter.[\/box]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_109\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-109\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-109\" title=\"geirihus-sigurgsigurj\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geirihus-sigurgsigurj-500x234.jpg\" alt=\"\u00c1sgeir Emilsson fyrir framan heimili sitt. Lj\u00f3sm. Sigurgeir Sigurj\u00f3nsson.\" width=\"500\" height=\"234\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-109\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Geiri in front of his house: Photo Sigurgeir Sigurj\u00f3nsson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The naive artist \u00c1sgeir J\u00f3n Emilsson (1931-1999), or Geiri as he was called, was a lively character and a wonderful artist. He had a strong artistic drive and his home represents this clearly. Geiri&#8217;s home is virtually the same as it was the day he passed away and there one can see how he lived and worked.<\/p>\n<p>Geiri&#8217;s house is in the care of Skaftfell since 1999.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/164539961\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-9883\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_anddyri-500x375.jpg\" alt=\"SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_anddyri-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_anddyri-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_anddyri-250x188.jpg 250w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_anddyri-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_anddyri-73x55.jpg 73w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_anddyri.jpg 800w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_anddyri-580x435.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3>About Geiri<\/h3>\n<p>\u00c1sgeir\u00a0J\u00f3n Emilsson, Geiri, was born in 1931 in H\u00e1t\u00fan, Sey\u00f0isfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur, the youngest of twelve siblings. Geiri always had his home in Sey\u00f0isfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur. He was a fisherman in his early life, travelling between Icelandic fishing villages following the work; but after that, and for the major part of his life, he worked in the fish industry plants in Sey\u00f0isfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur.<\/p>\n<p>Although Geiri\u2019s nature was that of a loner, he always had many friends and people were drawn to his charismatic character, sincerity and consideration for the underdog. Geiri\u2019s hearing was impaired from the start, but he didn\u2019t let this disability restrict him in any way, despite the careless responses of some who made jokes and misinterpreted his language and strange characteristics.<\/p>\n<p>Geiri was a colourful character and a divine artist. He had no artistic training in his upbringing but had an impulsive need for manual creation and his legacy portrays his craftsmanship and artistic gift. Geiri was a true outsider-artist. For the last 20 years of his life, he lived in a tiny house at Oddagata in Sey\u00f0isfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur. This was his studio and here he became truly one with his art. All over his home one sees his artistic touch and recognises motives from his two- and three-dimensional works. Three-dimensional works made of aluminium cans, picture-frames made of cigarette packaging, paintings with recurring motives and a considerable amount of photographs from Geiri\u2019s special point of view, form the back-bone of his unique life achievement. In fact, Geiri\u2019s home was his kingdom and Geiri it\u2019s king. There everyone was equal: L\u00f3li \u2013 Geiri\u2019s cat; his guests and himself. The sheriff, taxman, trendsetters and most authorities \u2013 except from president Vigd\u00eds of course \u2013 were excluded from respect in Geirah\u00fas.<\/p>\n<p>The outsider-artist \u00c1sgeir Emilsson died in 1999, at the age of 68. In his life he made a huge amount of works that he sometimes gave away and sometimes sold, so it\u2019s hard to find a home in Sey\u00f0isfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur and it\u2019s surroundings that doesn\u2019t have at least one work by Geiri. The greatest monument about this unique artist is his home, Geirah\u00fas, where Skaftfell, Center for Visual Art in East Iceland, now runs a museum.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">P\u00e9tur Kristj\u00e1nsson<br \/>\nTranslation: \u00de\u00f3runn Hjartard\u00f3ttir<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A spotless mind<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Text by N\u00edels Hafstein, artist and director of folk-art museum <a href=\"http:\/\/www.safnasafnid.is\">Safnasafni\u00f0<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-large wp-image-9885\" src=\"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_table-500x376.jpg\" alt=\"SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERA\" width=\"500\" height=\"376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_table-500x376.jpg 500w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_table-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_table-250x188.jpg 250w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_table-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_table-73x55.jpg 73w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_table.jpg 800w, https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/geiri_detail_table-580x436.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>When a mature person feels the urge to create something special and unique, to harness his imagination and joy of expression, there is only one way to do it: go back to where he came from, reopen the doors to his childhood and start again where he left off: to create for oneself.<\/p>\n<p>He emphasizes the image and it\u2018s motive, how it connects to memories and current affairs. The works portray daily tasks, refering\u00a0 to folklore and fables, ancient ways of farming, fairy tales and myths. But when the artist is faced with difficulties the ways of his expression changes, it may even become furious and violent, demanding and provocative; it is as though the artists life depends on the outside world paying attention to him. Sometimes the works address ethical, or even political and metaphysical questions.<\/p>\n<p>On the one hand outsider-art has an alluring timelessness, with few exceptions, on the other hand it is tragic in some way, there is a sense of suffocation in a restricted area and an overwhelming loneliness; but at its core, the urge to create, is the same in both instances.<\/p>\n<p>Outsider-art reveals itself in ancient cave art, and then later throughout history. It is diverse, special, it seldom evolves, sometimes sidesteps, but can never be categorized as belonging to a certain style or school in the strict sense of modern art.<\/p>\n<p>The outsider-artist often focuses on the representation of the likeness of features to his model, whether drawing from life or from memory, but it goes without saying that the image is never perfect; it is like watching the world through an opaque glass or gauze, and that is where the miracle starts: a door to a magical world opens up and evokes joy and happiness in the spectators heart, because all of a sudden he stands face to face with his own lost childhood.<\/p>\n<p>\u00c1sgeir Emilsson is an outsider-artist who is in the same instance introverted and extroverted. He seeks refuge with motives that touch the soul, and unique experiences, he takes his work to a place where he can create his art in peace, expressing a na\u00efve heart and unique experiences. The labourers rough hands make miniscule objects out of aluminium cans: tiaras, picture frames, tables and chairs; reminiscent of the Icelandic National Costume accessories whose braids and leaves are made of Silver filigree. The objects made by \u00c1sgeir Emilsson are unpretentious and modest. Still, he has a tendency to remind people of his existence, even though this is done in a modest way such as; by painting his house in beautiful colours, echoing the magnificent nature of the surrounding mountains and the waterfalls that come tumbling down the hills. The photographs portray the relationship with the town\u2019s population, processing experiences and ideas;\u00a0 sort of filling the void of loneliness, documenting\u00a0 everyday occurances, the progress of life, unique events or coincidences that enrich human existence.<\/p>\n<p>\u00c1sgeir Emilsson bears no similarity to any other Icelandic outsider artist, neither in the choice of materials nor in his crafting of objects, but elsewhere, especially in the US, the\u00a0 recycling of aluminium in art- and household objects is commonly acknowledged, as can be seen in books and on the world-wide-web.<br \/>\nIcelandic people are increasingly looking back to their heritage and acknowledging artistic creation that addresses their minds directly; viewing wonderful works of art, spacious masses, unique art objects, beautiful minds. Icelandic outsider-art is a simple\u00a0 unceremonious expression of life, created by people who are innocently pure of heart, conceived from the core of the psyche \u2013 just like gold.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">N\u00edels Hafstein<br \/>\nTranslation: \u00de\u00f3runn Hjartard\u00f3ttir<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[box] During summer private tours have to be booked at skaftfell@archive.skaftfell.is or at the gallery from 12-18. Price is 2500 ISK per session and max 5 persons. A tour of Geirahu\u0301s is also possible as a part of a sightseeing tour by Sey\u00f0isfj\u00f6r\u00f0ur Tours, www.seydisfjordurtours.com. NOTE: The house is closed to the public during winter.[\/box] The naive artist \u00c1sgeir J\u00f3n Emilsson (1931-1999), or Geiri as he was called, was a lively character and a wonderful artist. He had a strong artistic drive and his home represents this clearly. Geiri&#8217;s home is virtually the same as it was the day he [\u2026] <\/p>\n<div class=\"clear\"><\/div>\n<p><a class=\"more_link clearfix\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/the-house-of-geiri\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9177,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9319","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9319"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.skaftfell.is\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}