Steingrímur Gauti Iceland, b. 1986

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.