Waterfall #2, a visually stunning artwork made from outdoor sequins that look like shimmering water, is installed on the exterior corner wall of the Millennium Library at Smith and Graham. Created by Reykjavik-based Danish artist Theresa Himmer and originally commissioned by núna (now) as a temporary installation to coincide with the núna (now) festival in Winnipeg in 2015, the Winnipeg Arts Council and the City of Winnipeg are delighted to provide a more permanent home for Waterfall #2.
The title of this artwork relates to an earlier artwork, Waterfall #1 by Theresa Himmer, which was temporarily installed in Reykjavik in 2006. Waterfall #1 was created in response to the cultural and political realities that led to the economic crash of 2008. Within that context, Waterfall #1 playfully investigated the relationship between natural and artificial landscapes, while reflecting critically on the increasing commodification of Icelandic nature. Waterfall #1 in Reykjavik was dismantled in the fall of 2014.
Waterfall #2, is a full-size, mirrored version of Waterfall #1, which no longer exists. Transplanted to Manitoba, with a large community of Icelandic-Canadians, the content of the work shifts. Alluding to a history of migration and longing, Waterfall #2 expands to include wider narratives of place, identity, and memory.
núna (now) – Iceland/Canada Art Convergence has generated exchange amongst contemporary artists across the Icelandic-Canadian / Canadian / Icelandic paradigm since 2006. núna (now) features artists’ whose practices intersect & explore the significance of our ‘cultural connection’ through interpretation of cultural/postcolonial identities, collaboration, and the narrative of ongoing settler/indigenous relations as our in/heritage. Manitoba received an inundation of Icelandic immigrants in the late 1800s, the cultural echoes still resonate providing the bedrock for our vital cultural connection. núna (now) intends to strengthen and sustain the artistic bridge between these two locales.
The Winnipeg Arts Council manages the Public Art Policy and Program on behalf of the City of Winnipeg and has led the creation of over fifty public artworks in all shapes and sizes across Winnipeg’s diverse neighbourhoods.