FOCUS: Gardar Eide Einarsson

The work of Norwegian-born Gardar Eide Einarsson often explores the complex relationship between individuals and institutions, and the painful limits of transgressing society-imposed boundaries.

The artist also has an interest in commonly used graphics and signs and how we collectively read and relate to them. Logo, 2008, for example, is an eerie black-and-white representation of the HSBC bank’s logo, conveying a dark and apt take on the banking industry.

Einarsson also has an ongoing fascination with American history, conspiracy and myth, and often focuses on archetypes of authority and outlaws or outsiders in his work. The Branch Davidians and the Unabomber, for example, have both been subjects of investigation. A current work in progress, To Be Titled (the black hand), which will be included in the Modern’s exhibition, characterizes his ongoing exploration into tragic forms of rebellion. It is a short film in which a fictional conversation takes place between Jack Ruby and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Einarsson currently lives and works in New York; his work was included in the 2008 Whitney Biennial. FOCUS: Gardar Eide Einarsson marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in an American museum.