When you think of crochet and fabric weaving, you don’t usually think of fine art displayed in a museum. But those are exactly the techniques that young Icelandic artist Hildur Bjarnadóttir uses in her provocative work, soon to be showcased at SMU’s Pollock Gallery, located in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center.
In addition to having her work on display, Bjarnadóttir will give a lecture at the Meadows Museum on Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m.
Bjarnadóttir uses crochet and fabric weaving to create modern statements from traditional craft methods usually associated with women’s domestic lives. In her artist’s statement, Bjarnadóttir notes that the line between art and craft can be hazy and is based on context as well as concept. She says that her art explores this fine line between decorative, usable crafts and conceptual art.
Bjarnadóttir was featured in a recent exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City, where Pollock Gallery Director and Associate Professor of Art and Curatorial Studies Philip Van Keuren saw her work.
“I wanted some of the best work I’d seen in New York,” said Van Keuren. “And since Hildur was going to be in New York, it made it easy to get her down here as a visiting artist as well.”
A primary focus of the Pollock Gallery is to seek out artistic and historical resources that have aesthetic and cultural value. Exhibits are selected to suit the gallery as a learning environment for SMU students.
“You make choices based on what you look at,” said Van Keuren. “You find something intriguing and high quality and something you want students to look at.”
Though the Pollock Gallery provides an academic forum for art students, it creates a unique opportunity for students of all majors to soak up some culture without emptying their wallets. Admission is free and the gallery’s convenient location in Hughes-Trigg makes it a great place to stroll through between classes or to peruse on the weekends.
Pollock Gallery is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Hildur Bjarnadóttir’s work will be on display from Sept. 13 through Oct. 11. For more information on the gallery or the exhibit, call 214-768-4439. To learn more about the artist, visit hildur.net.
