Shana Nys DambrotIf you have experienced the intense, ambient, cathartic soundscape of a Sigur Rós live show, then you already know a little bit about what its lead vocalist Jónsi gets up to in his visual art practice. Not only about his sonic aesthetic fusing human, atmospheric, and technological voices, poetically manipulated sounds, fibrillated rhythms, and cognitive emotion—but also the integral role of light, movement, pattern, and optical frequency operating in the music’s enhanced visual field. What might be surprising is how elegantly these ideas translate from the arena to the gallery.
In his current exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Jónsi (who lives and works in Los Angeles) channels his wide-ranging ideas into three finite sculptural objects—well, two sculptures and an immersive installation—that each contain and project sound, light, and provocative scent in experiential objects that address multiple senses and dimensions, imparting captivating physical experiences and implying further metaphysical philosophies. Like the historical Light and Space artists James Turrell and Robert Irwin whose legacy can be felt throughout the presentation, Jónsi is primarily interested in the mechanics and effects of the literal, physical act of seeing; unlike those forebears, he extends that physiological psychic field to include the acts of hearing and smelling as well. There is also an infused fermented and probably hallucinogenic vetiver root elixir available, for the brave.
Jónsi: Vox, 2023, 8-channel sound installation, speakers, LED screens, fog, scent—Vetiver root, galbanum, angelica root, iris root/ orris, cis-3-hexenol. (Courtesy of Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Photo: Jeff McClane)
Vox means “voice” and the largest of the three works creates a synesthetic suspended space in which the sound of Jónsi’s natural voice mixes freely with digital and AI-generated “voices” and in turn sparks the algorithm for a 360-degree pulsating light show—projected inside a big black box with lightly billowing smoke and the strong smell of pungent vetiver grass. As the sounds slip fluidly between ethereal almost-lyrics and circuit-bending scrapes and bangs, the colors and motions perform peripheral dissonance and occasional syncing up. An unexpectedly poignant emotional response accompanies the curiosity and a growing sense that the box is alive.
Jónsi: Silent sigh (dark), 2023. Speakers, metal, electronics, 117 x 114 x 69 inches. (Courtesy Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Photo: Jeff McClane)
Another gallery features an imposing, curved blossom or mandala-like standing sculpture—an array of more than 100 smooth, perfectly round brassy speakers of various sizes with a distinctly botanical and also extraterrestrial presence. Silent sigh (dark) choreographs different electronic channels which prompt a gently flowing disturbance across the speakers, responding to their own output like a breeze ruffling a lake. The sound here is subtle and less human, but the breath of the almost-living sculpture is affecting and meditative; the experience of its apparatus and the direct translation of surreal sound into a solid, moving object feels like science fiction, and maybe like it’s a trap.
Jónsi: Var (safespace), 2023, 8-channel sound installation, speakers, electronics, scent (cis-3-hexenol), 98 x 68 x 24 inches (Courtesy Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Photo: Jeff McClane)
A third work combines certain elements of the others, as Var (safespace) creates a draped cloak of micro-speakers hung from the ceiling like a tent. Encouraged to walk not only around but crucially underneath the canopy, viewers find an ASMR-like atmosphere, paired with the scent of freshly cut grass. Again, the organic sensations and high-tech forms generate a cognitive paradox at the heart of the experience—but ultimately it’s in the pleasing friction of that plural space where the magic of the show takes hold.
Vox is on view at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, 1010 Highland Ave., Hollywood, through February 10; tanyabonakdargallery.com.
Jónsi: Var (safespace), 2023, 8-channel sound installation, speakers, electronics, scent (cis-3-hexenol), 98 x 68 x 24 inches, detail (Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Photo: Jeff McClane)
Jónsi: Var (safespace), 2023, 8-channel sound installation, speakers, electronics, scent (cis-3-hexenol), 98 x 68 x 24 inches, detail (Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Photo: Jeff McClane)
Jónsi: Silent sigh (dark), 2023, Speakers, metal, electronics, 117 x 114 x 69 in (Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Photo: Jeff McClane)
Jónsi: Silent sigh (dark), 2023, Speakers, metal, electronics, 117 x 114 x 69 in, detail (Courtesy the artist and Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Photo: Jeff McClane)
Jónsi: Vox, 2023, 8-channel sound installation, speakers, LED screens, fog, scent—Vetiver root, galbanum, angelica root, iris root/ orris, cis-3-hexenol. (Courtesy of Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Photo: Jeff McClane)
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