JULIE LÆNKHOLM
ANDVAKANDI
18.08.2023
„Andvakandi“ er listaverk eftir dönsku listakonuna Julie Lænkholm sem var afhjúpað formlega þann 18. ágúst 2023. Verkið er 144 fm að stærð og er unnið með íslenskum lækningajurtum. Listaverkið er varanlegt og samanstendur af beitilyngi, vallhumuli, blóðbergi, birki, blágresi og klóelftingu – jurtum sem allar finnast á hálendi Íslands og hafa þá náttúru að vera heilsueflandi og hafa verið nýttar í náttúrulækningar gegnum aldirnar. Í blöðum jurtanna liggur kraftur sem hefur borist munnlega kynslóða á milli og það er þaðan sem verkið sprettur. Verkið er teiknað í garð Ásmundarsalar með plöntunum og er formbygging unnin eftir verki Julie Lænkholm „Húsavík“ frá árinu 2016.
Verkið teygir anga sína til Engidals í S-Þingeyjarsýslu því það var í Engidal árið 2016 sem Julie Lænkholm hitti Kristlaugu Pálsdóttur og þekking Kristlaugar á íslenskri flóru og lækningamætti berst til Julie Lænkholm. Fundur þeirra hafði djúpstæð áhrif á bæði líf og verk Julie og því er verkið „Andvakandi“ tileinkað og unnið til heiðurs Kristlaugar Pálsdóttur og þessum kvennafundi sem markaði nýtt upphaf á myndlistarferli Julie.
Kristlaug Pálsdóttur er bóndi í Engidal sem hefur ætíð unnið með flóru Íslands og bæði jurtalitar, þurrkar og vinnur te úr þeim plöntum sem vaxa þar villt. Jurtafræðina fékk hún frá móður og móðursystrum sínum, en Kristlaug Tryggvadóttir móðursystir hennar starfaði sem ljósmóðir í upphafi 20.aldar og á þeim tíma og allar götur síðan nýtti hún íslenskar lækningajurtir við störf sín.
Julie Lænkholm er myndlistarkona sem starfaði sem hjartaaðgerða-hjúkrunarfræðingur áður en hún fór til náms í myndlist við Parsons í New York. Hugmyndafræði Julie Lænkholm á rætur að rekja til hugmynda og aðferðafræða sem snúast um sameiginlega þekkingu og samlærdóm kynslóða. Hún kannar aðferðir og venjur sem hafa borist munnlega frá kynslóð til kynslóðar, og leggur áherslu í vinnuferli sínu á sögu kvenna sem oft hefur legið í dvala eða gleymst.
„Sem listamaður er ég aðeins þáttakandi í sköpunarferli verks. Ég reyni að vera farvegur sem leiðir hið ytra niður í gegnum höfuðið og hjartað og út um hendurnar. Þannig get ég búið til hluti sem eru handan minnar ímyndunar og það er miklu áhugaverðara en að ofhugsa verk.“
Verk Julie Lænkholm eru í eigu einkaaðila og opinbera safna og hefur hún verið með einkasýningar í Matsushima Bunko Museum (Matsushima), Tranen Space for Contemporary Art (Hellerup), Safnahúsinu (Húsavík) og Textile Art Center (New York). Samhliða „Andvakandi“ er hún að setja upp systra verkið „Omsorg“ sem er varanlegur jurtagarður á veitingahúsinu NOMA í Kaupmannahöfn.
Verkið er styrkt af Ny Carlsberg Fondet.
ANDVAKANDI
18.08.2023
"Andvakandi" is an artwork by Danish artist Julie Lænkholm, that formally opened on August 18th 2023. The piece measures 144 square meters and consist of Icelandic herbs. The artwork is permanent and made of four wild plants; beitilyng, birkilauf, vallhumall and blóðberg, all of which can be found in the Icelandic highlands and possess healing properties that have been used as natural remedies throughout the centuries. The powerful essence of the herbs, contained within their leaves, carries a wisdom passed down orally between generations, and it is from that essence that the artwork springs forth. The artwork is “painted” in Ásmundarsalur's garden with the healing herbs based on Julie Lænkholm's work "Húsavík" from 2016.
The work “Andvakandi“ stems from Julie Lænkholm's encounter with Kristlaug Pálsdóttir in Engidalur, in South Þingeyjarsýsla. It was in Engidalur where Kristlaug passed her knowledge of Icelandic flora to Julie Lænkholm in 2016. Their encounter had a profound impact on Julie's life and artwork, and therefor „Andvakandi“ is made and created in honor of Kristlaug Pálsdóttir and this influential meeting of women, which marked a new beginning in Lænkholm's artistic practice.
Kristlaug Pálsdóttir is a farmer in Engidalur who uses and treasures Icelandic flora, creating herbal dyes, drying plants, and creating healing teas from the wild herbs surrounding her. She inherited her knowledge from her mother and maternal aunt, Kristlaug Tryggvadóttir, who worked as a midwife at the beginning of the 20th century and used Icelandic healing herbs in her practice to heal and guide women through childbirth.
Julie Lænkholm (b. 1985, Denmark) lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her practice is rooted in the ideas and methods inherent to collective learning. Investigating techniques and practices traditionally passed down orally from generation to generation, Lænkholm explores a predominantly female-driven history and knowledge which has been forgotten or otherwise actively ignored. Through her practice, she aims to bring these lost narratives back into focus, and place them within a contemporary discourse.
"As an artist, I only want a supporting role in the co-creation of a work. I try to open up a channel from the outside, down through my head and heart and out through my hands. In that way I can crate things that go beyond my own imagination, and that is much more interesting than overthinking a work.“
Julie Lænkholm has works in private and public collections and her recent solo exhibitions have been presented by Textile Arts Center, New York, USA; Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark; Matsushima, Bunko Museum, Matsushima, Japan; Tranen Space for Contemporary Art, Hellerup, Denmark; VI Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark; RØM Artist Space, Copenhagen, Denmark; Sodu4 and Vilnius, Lithuania. She is a graduate of Parsons, The New School of Design in New York. Laenkholm is also trained as a cardiac nurse and brings an understanding of medicine and science to her practice, recently finishing a three year degree in Nordic Plant medicine. Alongside "Andvakandi," she is creating the permanent artwork "Omsorg," which is a “sister' herb healing garden” at the NOMA restaurant in Copenhagen.
The artwork is supported by the Ny Carlsberg Fondet.
The New Carlsberg Foundation was established in 1902 by brewer Carl Jacobsen and is funded mainly by dividend from shares in Carlsberg A/S. Today, the Foundation continues the realize Jacobsen’s vision of promoting art in society and making it available to the widest possible audience.
MYNDIR FRÁ OPNUN 18.09.2023
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE OPENING 18.09.2023
ANDVAKANDI HEILSUTE
BLÓÐBERG
VALLHUMALL
BIRKILAUF
BEITILYNG
KLÓELFTING
BLÁGRESI
2 TSK AF TE-LAUFUM
1 BOLLI AF HEITU VATNI
FÁANLEGT Á REYKJAVÍK ROASTERS
Verið velkomin að bragða heilsu-te hjá okkur á Reykjavík Roasters, en einnig er hægt að versla 30 gr poka og næra sig heima í stofu.
FERÐALAGIÐ FRÁ ENGIDAL TIL ÁSMUNDARSALAR
THE JOURNEY FROM ENGIDALUR TO ÁSMUNDARSLAUR
– THE PROGRESS
Myndir af vinnslu verksins. Ljósmyndari: Svanhildur Gréta Kristjánsdóttir.
Pictures from the process. Photographer: Svanhildur Gréta Kristjánsdóttir
Kristlaug Pálsdóttir, bóndi, á heimili sínu í Engidal.
Kristlaug Pálsdóttir, farmer, at her home in Engidalur.
Ljósmynd / Photo: Julie Lænkholm.
LÆKNINGAJURTIR og áhrif þeirra
healing herbs and their properties
BEITILYNG (Calluna vulgaris)
Anti-oxidant, anti-glucosidase, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effect.VALLHUMALL (Achillea millefolium L.)
Is an aromatic herb with a variety of pharmacological properties, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic activities.BLÓÐBERG (Thymus praecox)
Is the one native plant most commonly used for herbal tea. Is known for being a remedy against coomon colds and hang-overs. Grows in the barren area of the Reykjanes peninsula, the rock is hyalo-clastite cemented volcanic ash from subglacial eruption.BIRKILAUF (Birch leaves)
High in anti-inflammatory methyl salicylate, it’s used as a powerful pain reliever. The leaves of the tree, which contain lots of vitamin C, are used to make medicine for infections of the urinary tract that affect the kidney, bladder, ureters, and urethra. It is also used as a diuretic to increase urine output.BLÁGRESI (Geranium sylvaticum)
KLÓELFTING (Equisetum arvense)
TÆKNITEIKNING AF VERKI
TECHNICAL DRAWING OF ARTWORK
Tölvuteikning af „Andvakandi“ í garði Ásmundarsalar. 2023 / A sketch of the Andvakandi installation in Ásmundarsalur’s garden, 2023.
TITLL VERKSINS
THE TITLE
Titill verksins er tilbrigði við nafnorðið Andvakan sem er sömuleiðis titill á tónverki eftir langa langaafa Julie Lænkholm, P. Gudjohnsen.
The title of the project and artwork is Andvakandi, which stems from the Icelandic title Andvakan which means insomnia, waking up and staying awake, awakening. Andvakan is also the title of a musical work that was written by Lænkholm´s great great grandfather, P. Gudjohnsen.
Supported by The New Carlsberg Foundation.
The New Carlsberg Foundation was established in 1902 by brewer Carl Jacobsen and is funded mainly by dividend from shares in Carlsberg A/S. Today, the Foundation continues to realize Jacobsen’s vision of promoting art in society and making it available to the widest possible audience.
