Steina: Playback

The National Gallery of Iceland and the Reykjavík Art Museum are proud to collabore on to jointly present a comprehensive exhibition of the works of visual artist Steina Vasulka. The exhibition will open in both museums on October 4, 2025, occupying Iceland's two main art museums. Steina is internationally recognized as a leading pioneer in video and new media art; she is also a major influence on contemporary art in Iceland.  Her work uniquely connecte video art, music, and technology in ways that are both highly inventive and playful.   

The exhibition is the first major retrospective of Steina's work in Iceland. It will span the entire scope of her artistic career, from early experiments in documentary video work to her most recent installations from the early 2000s. Taken together, the retrospective traces the development of Steina’s ideas and technological innovations over several decades.

Steina (b. Steinunn Briem Bjarnadottir, 1940, Iceland; lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico) trained as a violinist in Reykjavík and Prague. She emigrated to the United States in 1965 with her life partner, Woody Vasulka. Initially working as a freelance musician in New York, she began to focus on video in 1970, and in 1971, cofounded The Electronic Kitchen (later The Kitchen), the legendary multidisciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art space in New York City. After moving to Buffalo in 1973, Steina helped develop the production lab at the Center for Media Study, SUNY at Buffalo.  Since 1980, she has lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, exhibiting regularly around the world. Her work is considered foundational in the history of video art.

The exhibition will open on October 4, 2025, and be on view until January 11, 2026. It will take place in four exhibition halls of the National Gallery of Iceland four halls of Reykjavík Art Museum.

In a joint statement, museum directors Ingibjörg Jóhannsdóttir, of the National Gallery, and Ólöf K. Sigurðardóttir of the Reykjavík Art Museum noted that the exhibition is a unique opportunity to view the work of one of Iceland's most original and influential contemporary artists. "We decided to work together on this project to give this exhibition as much space as possible, as many of Steina’s works are seen to best advantage when they are given ample space."  The museums last teamed up twenty years ago when Dieter Roth's works were installed in a major retrospective in 2005. "The collaboration allows us to show Steina's work in Iceland, which is a wonderful opportunity to dive deeply into her work and philosophy - we believe the exhibition will provoke a new discussion about contemporary art and technology".