I aim to express and examine some basic forms of human emotions. In a sense you could say that most of my paintings are just series of mistakes until they add up to something that works out aesthetically and emotionally. In a sense, a lot like life itself.
— Steingrímur Gauti
Born in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1986, Steingrímur Gauti developed a passion for the arts in early youth and continued on this path, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Iceland University of Arts in 2015. Since then, he has been highly active in the art world, locally and internationally, quickly gaining notice for his large-scale abstract paintings along with various activities in the vibrant Icelandic arts scene. His works are currently featured in collections found in Iceland, Europe, The US and Asia.
Steingrímur primarily works in acrylics, along with a range of synthetic texture mediums, chalks and pigments. His most recent work include large, sparse, abstract expanses on canvas, with childlike drawings and scribbles of sentences scattered, sometimes hidden, in the many layers of paint he applies.
Drawing inspiration from his surroundings — the often overwhelming Icelandic nature and the country's unpredictable, ever-changing weather — along with daily life and urban textures, his works are expressive and impulsive, yet delicate and nuanced. His visceral abstract language is reminiscent of both landscape painting and Twombly-esque graffiti, with the balance of thin and thick layers of paint with incoherent writing and drawings peeking through — bringing the almost monochrome paintings to life. Like a dance.
Born in Reykjavík, Iceland in 1986
Lives and works in Reykjavík Iceland
Education
2010 – 2015 | BFA Fine Arts, Iceland University of the Arts |
2012 – 2013 | Visiting Student, Universität der Kunste, Berlin |
2009 – 2010 | The Reykjavík School of Visual Arts |
Solo Exhibitions
2020 | Mokka, ‘Vinnustofan’ (w. Halldór Ragnarsson), Reykjavík, Iceland |
Lumex Gallery, ‘Untitled’, Reykjavík, Iceland | |
GK Gallery, ‘Untitled’, Reykjavík, Iceland | |
Gallerí Grótta, ‘Ný verk’, Reykjavík, Iceland | |
2019 | Gallery Kjallari, ‘…en svo vissi ég minna’, Reykjavík, Iceland |
2018 | Tveir Hrafnar, ‘Ekki gera neitt‘, Reykjavík, Iceland |
SÍM Gallery, ‘For the Time Being’, Reykjavík, Iceland | |
Mosfellsbær Art Gallery, ‘Undir’, Mosfellsbær, Iceland | |
2017 | Mokka, ‘Citius’, Reykjavík, Iceland |
Ekkisens, ‘Blues’ (w. Logi Bjarnason), Reykjavík, Iceland | |
Icelandic Printmakers Association, ‘Stund’, Reykjavík, Iceland | |
2016 |
Gallery Port, ‘Áferð / Texture’ (w. Kristín Morthens), Reykjavík, Iceland |
Group Exhibitions
2023 | Galerie Marguo, 'Art Paris 2023', Paris, France |
2021 | Galerie Marguo, ‘Presentation of Marguo Artists’, Paris, France |
2020 | Art3f Art Fair via Van Gogh Art Gallery (Madrid), Monaco |
Listasafn Árnesinga Art Museum, ‘Tíðarandi / Zeitgeist’, Hveragerði, Iceland | |
2019 | Hafnarborg Art Museum, ‘Allt á sama tíma’, Reykjavík, Iceland |
2018 | Plan-B Art Festival, Borgarnes, Iceland |
2016 | Plan-B Art Festival, Borgarnes, Iceland |
Residency
2019 | Circolo Scandinavo (Skandinavisk Kunstforening), ‘Artist in Residence’, Rome, Italie |
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylics, chalk, oil pastel and varnish on canvas180 x 150 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylics, oil pastel on linen200 x 160 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Oil, acrylics, chalk, oil pastel, gloss medium on linen200 x 160 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylics, house paint, chalk, graphite, oil pastel on canvas200 x 240 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Oil, acrylics, chalk, oil pastel, graphite, varnish on linen160 x 130 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylic, chalk, graphite and varnish on linen50 x 40 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylic, chalk, graphite and varnish on linen50 x 40 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylic, chalk, graphite and varnish on linen50 x 40 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylic, chalk, graphite and varnish on linen50 x 40 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylic, chalk, graphite and varnish on linen60 x 50 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylic, chalk, graphite and varnish on linen60 x 50 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2021Acrylic, chalk, oil pastel and gloss medium on linen160 x 130 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled (12), 2021Acrylic, chalk, oil pastel, graphite on canvas140 x 140 cm
144 x 144 cm (framed) -
Steingrímur GautiUntitled (13), 2021Acrylic, chalk, oil pastel, graphite on canvas160 x 130 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled (14), 2021Acrylic, chalk, graphite on canvas200 x 160 cm
204 x 164 cm (framed) -
Steingrímur GautiUntitled (15), 2021Acrylic, chalk, graphite on canvas200 x 160 cm
204 x 164 cm (framed) -
Steingrímur GautiUntitled (25), 2021Acrylic and oil on canvas200 x 240 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2020Acrylic, texture paste, graphite, chalk on canvas165 x 200 cm
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Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2020Acrylic, oil, chalk, graphite on canvas200 x 160 cm
202 x 162 cm (framed) -
Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2020Acrylic, chalk, graphite on canvas140 x 120 cm
144 x 124 cm (framed) -
Steingrímur GautiUntitled, 2020Acrylic, texture paste, oil pastel, chalk on canvas140 x 120 cm
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Galerie Marguo @ ART021 Shanghai 2021
Art Fair 10 Nov 2021Galerie Marguo is pleased to be participating in ART021, with a presentation of nine contemporary international artists working in painting and photography. Spanning a variety of approaches from abstraction to figuration, each offer nuanced ways of looking, interpreting, and representing the world through highly subjective formal and political lenses, cultivated from all corners of the earth. The works gathered here are each in their own way concerned with representing the often invisible yet palpable forces that shape our lives, as well as that which is often hidden in plain sight....Read more -
Galerie Marguo @ Art Paris 2021
Art Fair 6 Sep 2021Last October, Galerie Marguo opened its doors in the Marais district of Paris with the desire to bring different corners of the world together through a dedicated program highlighting emerging artists. In addition to introducing the works of international artists to the local art scene in France, Marguo is committed to supporting and amplifying their practices through a publishing program of artist monographs. Nearly a year after its launch, the gallery is pleased to be participating in Art Paris for the first time. On this occasion, Marguo presents a selection...Read more -
Steingrímur Gauti: Soft Approach
Paris Exhibition Full Film 25 Aug 2021Galerie Marguo is pleased to present Soft Approach, a selection of new paintings by Icelandic artist Steingrímur Gauti. On view from 4 September to 9 October 2021, this is the artist’s first solo exhibition outside Iceland. Steingrímur Gauti’s (b.1986, Iceland) dynamic acrylic and mixed-media abstractions are passing blips on an enduring accumulation of present moments that constitute the artist’s daily studio practice. Inspired in turn by twentieth century art history and more ancient philosophies of Zen Buddhism, Gauti’s process reflects an ongoing meditation in motion in which...Read more -
Steingrímur Gauti
Online Presentation 25 Mar 2021Galerie Marguo is pleased to announce worldwide representation of Reykjavík, Iceland-based artist Steingrímur Gauti . Working primarily in acrylic combined with mixed media, Steingrímur Gauti has developed a singular language, mastering abstraction as a pure expression of emotions and intuitions. Drawing inspiration from his surroundings—the often dramatic Icelandic nature and the country’s unpredictable, ever-changing weather—along with daily life and urban textures, his works are expressive and spontaneous, yet delicately nuanced and grounded. Though he “doesn’t consciously think about colors and forms,” as the artist explains, Ingólfsson in his...Read more