Kristín Morthens

I meet Kristín at her Iceland based studio, by the sea on a ness called Gufunes. It’s located behind an old fertiliser factory, know to locals as the ‘Old Fertiliser Factory’. It’s strangely eerie there, the studio building looks abandoned, but when you enter you’re met with warm air, the smell of paint and it almost feels like a home more than a studio. She shares the space with fellow artist Sunneva Ása Weisshappel, who does painting as well as sculptures and performance art. I ask her how they came about the space and she tells me a friend of theirs owns the space and until the building will be demolished to make way for residential buildings, they are welcome to stay.

We talk anything from rental prices, the difference on living and working in Iceland and abroad and to how we miss the geothermal pools in Iceland when comparing them to the ones in Toronto, where she also resides and works. I can relate as the pools in London are merely for swimming, not for relaxing!

Kristín Morthens graduated from OCAD University in 2018 with BFA in drawing and painting, where she received The Mrs. W.O. Forsyth Award for exellence in painting. In 2016 she did an exchange at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Kristín currently works in both Reykjavík and Toronto. She has showed in Montreal, Los Angeles, Toronto, Malmö, Reykjavík, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Copenhagen, and participated in art fairs such as Art Toronto, Foire Papier and Art Miami. This year Morthens has had two solo shows in Canada, at Angell Gallery and Christopher Cutts, and two in Iceland, at Gallery Port and GK Reykjavík.

As Sunneva keeps my baby occupied, I take some photos of their studio. They make themselves a little lunch in their kitchen, which is what adds such a home-like feel to the place, and once she’s had a quick bite, we start talking.

Was there anything specific that drew you towards choosing a career in art or does it come quite naturally once your realize you have a passion for it?

I grew up around artists, with my dad being a painter, so I had access to paint and other mediums from a young age. However, I hadn’t thought about making a career out of it until my late teens. I went to an art high school where I met a group of people that were passionate and engaged, and through those relationships I became more serious about art.

Were you ever scared of going down the path due the nature of uncertainty (of getting work, having an income) in this industry?

Not so much when I was younger, but I feel that sort of anxiety kicking in bit more these days. Living between two countries, housing and studio rent can be a bit of a headache. It’s a lot of hustle and instability, but in the end I am grateful for being able to do what I love. That is what brings me the most happiness and it’s the sort of life I want to live.

You share a studio with your friend and fellow artist, Sunneva Ása. Do you think it’s important to have a separate workspace from your home? Is it hard to come across or afford those spaces which allow you to have more of a work environment rather than just working from home?

I think it depends on the individual, for me I need to have a separate space. I like waking up and leaving the house to go to my studio, that way I leave for work and I have my work hours. I usually spend 7-8 hours at the studio daily, and even though I feel like doing nothing I always end up doing something because I’m there in that space. However, studios are expensive and for many people it isn’t a choice. But my work kind of demands it, I use a lot of toxic chemicals which need proper ventilation, as well as I often work on a large scale. It’s a bit easier to come across studio gems for a fair price in Reykjavík than in Toronto. Getting a good studio space is a mixture of luck and hard work. It’s also important to share a space with people that you get along with. Sharing a studio is all about respect and boundaries, but also about friendships and having loads of fun. I’m really grateful for the studiomates that I have. Since this summer I’ve shared a space with my friend Sunneva in Iceland. It’s a large open space that is kind of isolated in the outskirts of Reykjavík, so we’ve spent a lot of time working side by side, which has been amazing because we’ve got a perfect rhythm together.

Do people tend to share studios a lot to share the cost you think, or more to have a sense of community?

I think it’s a bit of both. At least in Toronto it’s almost impossible to have a private studio space. But I do think community is a big part of it, being a painter can be kind of a lonely job, so instead of spending everyday alone in the studio you are working next to your friends. Even though most of the time people are working in their own corners, there are times when we all listen to music together, drink wine, give each other critiques, go to openings together and those sorts of things.

You studied in Toronto, Canada. Is there a specific reason you decided to study abroad as opposed to in Iceland?

I wanted to study painting and at that time painting wasn’t taught in Iceland. My decision going to Toronto was kind of random, I had a gut feeling that I should go there and I’m glad I followed that. I’m happy with the education I got in at OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design), I had loads of great peers and professors who taught me a lot. I also think it’s important to learn from different areas and communities, to avoid an echo chamber situation. I also did an exchange program at SAIC (School of the Art Institue of Chicago), through which I grew and learned a lot from. After graduation I’m still learning so much from Toronto artists and the same with Icelandic artists, because even though I didn’t do my BFA there I still work in that environment and participate in the dialogues happening there.

 What was the scariest aspect of the thought of working as a freelance artist? And what does it mean when you sign with a gallery? Does that give you more security financially?

I guess insecurity is the scariest aspect, both financially but also in terms of your career. Being an artist is something that you can get a degree in but it doesn’t guarantee you any work in that field. It’s a mixture of so many things and some of them I’m still learning. Signing up with a gallery can give you more financial security, but not necessarily. However, it does bring a bit more safety because then you are not working alone, but with somebody else. You have a space to show in and your work goes to art fairs and so on. It’s the kind if relationship that needs a lot of trust and mutual respect. 

You’ve also worked with spray paint and other mediums, what is your favorite medium to work with?

I’m somehow the most emotionally connected to spray paint, because that was the medium I used when I first started painting for real. I got into graffiti as a teenager and painted for a while with a group of guys, but in that scene I experienced bullying and sexism, my works were destroyed and paints worth thousands of dollars stolen. I tried to continue painting alone, but ended up in scary situations as a young girl in dark alleys in the middle of the night. It was too risky and I didn’t have any self-confidence so I stopped painting for two years. Until I went to Brazil, where I randomly met a graffiti writer in Manaus, Amazon, and ended up painting with him. He was the “king” of the north in Brazil and ended up introducing me to artists all over the country. Before I knew I was painting next to people I had been watching documentaries about when I first started painting. I stayed there for 6 months and got my voice and confidence back. I actively painted murals for several years, but when I moved to Toronto in 2014 I got more into painting on canvas. I don’t really paint murals anymore because my interest lies in oil painting today, but yet spray paint remains an important medium for me because I’ve gone through so much with it. However, materialistically, nothing compares to oil. I would say that oil paint is my favorite, but spray paint is always close to my heart.

And you’ve done some very large murals as you mention before, do you prefer working in a large scale as also a lot of your paintings are very big?

Yes. If I could choose I would paint big all the time, but it’s pretty unpractical. It’s both expensive, takes up a lot of space and is tough commercially. When working on big surfaces you use your whole body, it becomes very physical. Instead of standing over the object you are making, it is standing over you. But there is also a certain kind of magic that can only be found in small works, it’s a different kind of dynamic. Most of my works are either very big or very small. I don’t have a lot of medium sized paintings, which is often more commercially practical. But I try not to think too much about practicality of things when making.

Like you said, you do use spraypaint in your current work too, how do you incorporate that into your current pieces? Also, tell me more about how you create your paintings? Do you map or sketch them out beforehand or create them freely?

I often use spray paint in masked out shapes, I’m interested in the space they create when placed next to translucent oil paint. The way I apply the spray paint is through many layers of spraying from far away, that way it becomes a sand-like, rough matt surface. There is a float and sink relationship that happens between the oil and spray paint that excites me. The way I make my paintings is a mix of intuitive decisions and more planned ones. I’ve been working on surfaces that are not white, by either dying or drawing on the raw canvas before I prime it, and most recently I’ve been using linen. That way I feel like I have a starting point, something to go from. Then I often make digital studies of the basics such as compositions and color, and follow them to a certain extend. I find it helpful to make studies, but I try not to plan too much, that way I run into some issues or make “mistakes” that I try to resolve, and it’s those moments that I often find the most interesting.

 If being a fine artist would be more recognised as a stable career, do you think more people would follow their dreams about becoming one, or a different type of artist?

Probably. If it would offer more security, I’m sure more people would do it. But we also live in times that are heavily career focused. I don’t think that making a career out of something you are passionate about is necessarily for everyone. I think it can also be valuable to do something just for you and you don’t have to make a living out of. I also think that having one career is often thought of as rule or a goal, whereas doing multiple different things throughout life is also an option. There are many odd ways to make money or to get by, and it doesn’t have to be through your main job or passion.

Do you think it’s harder or easier to become an established artist in Iceland or elsewhere, like Toronto for example?

Not necessarily, but the size of places does make a big difference. In Iceland it’s easy to get stuff done, because there isn’t as much bureaucracy as in a city like Toronto. If you need to collect some weird stuff for a project, you can easily find it through a friend’s uncle or social media and so on, and it takes so little time to get between places, so you can make everything happen very fast. Whereas, in Toronto you need to do more research, digging around and plan everything in advance. Being an artist in a small community vs. larger community has its pros and cons. It’s perhaps easier to get noticed in a smaller community, but because of the size there are also fewer spaces to show in and only room for so many. In a city like Toronto there are loads of different kinds of scenes happening and more options of spaces. However, because Reykjavík doesn’t have too many spaces to show in, there is a strong DIY scene, which I think is a positive and exciting environment for young artists.

You come from a family of quite creative people and artists, such as your father Tolli Morthens, do you feel coming from a background of creative people it helps with finding your way in the industry or do you truly need to prove yourself?

Coming from a family of artists has been a huge privilege for me. I’ve learned so much from my father, and my whole family supports me in what I’m doing. Not long ago I was asked by a man at an opening for a group show I was participating in Iceland, “How does it feel to live in your father’s shadow?” I laughed because I’ve never experienced any shadow, but rather I’ve bathed in his sunshine. I think this old school mentality of competition is toxic and doesn’t bring any good. The more people you can learn from and share your knowledge with, the better. So I feel very lucky to have a family that I’m constantly learning from, and I’m also able to have meaningful conversations with them about what I’m doing.

Do you think it’s the same being established as being able to make a living off being an artist? Can one exist without the other?

No, being commercially successful is not desirable for all artists, because it can create certain limitations to your work and processes. That’s why a lot of artists support themselves financially through different jobs than their art. Becoming an established artist has nothing to do with money, but rather what you’ve done in your career.

 Looking at the future, what is the most exciting thing about being an artist, and likewise what is the most daunting?

We live in both difficult and exciting times, I look forward to possibilities the future holds for artists, what kind of art will be made after several decades. For me personally, I’m excited about the uncertainty, I don’t know where I will be or live after 20 years. The most daunting thing about the future is the climate crisis. It’s the biggest issue we are facing, our way of thinking and the culture of consumption and extortion has to change. Individuals need to make changes in lifestyles, but mostly we need to continue to pressure governments and mass corporations to take responsibility. 

 To finish off the interview, what are the plans for your near future as an artist? Are there any current or up coming exhibitions we should keep our eyes out for?

In December I’m participating in Art Miami with Christopher Cutts, and I’ll also have works up at Christmas shows at Gallery Port and Ásmundarsalur in Reykjavík. I have works up at GK Reykjavík until April. Then I’m preparing a DIY duo show with Sunneva Ása Weisshappel, which will open in a large industrial warehouse at Gufunes in fall 2020. I’ll also participate in a group show at one point, Sugarwounds II, with seven other artists in Iceland.

Words and photography by Lilja Hrönn.