These words apply to all the works in the exhibition that had a previous life as shipping packaging, and Toggi has chosen to call them Cargo art?.
Single-use, multi-use, reuse are concepts that tug at us daily, along with the idea of „sorting“, which forces us in the fast-consumption environment of the modern world to take a stance on things; to dispose of them or to recreate them, some kind of afterlife. The material is often allowed to dictate the final outcome, and the process—fast, raw and dangerous yet disciplined—tells a story with a new reality.
Toggi is a native of Hafnarfjörður. From 1980 to 1982, he studied life drawing at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. In the winter of 1987-1988, he attended Thorstedlund Art College in Frederikssund. He then graduated in sculpture from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 1994, during which time he was also an exchange student at the Academie Minerva in the Netherlands, where he studied bronze casting techniques.
During his studies at the MHÍ, he had the opportunity to undertake practical training with the sculptor Gestur Þorgrímsson in stone sculpture, and also with the sculptor Pétur Bjarnason in metal casting and mould-making. Toggi worked for a long time as a set designer in theatre, advertising and film before he began working with people as a consultant.
Alongside his bread business, Toggi has always been involved in artistic creation in one form or another, and in mid-2024 he then turned his attention entirely to visual art. This exhibition, Cargo Art, is the first result of that transition.
A special exhibition opening will be held on Thursday, 6th February from 18:00-20:00, and everyone is most welcome!
All words that could be used to describe the process behind the pieces that have been transformed from old cargo packing materials and which Toggi has dubbed Cargo Art.
Single-use or reusable: concepts that battle daily in our everyday lives. Today's hyper-consumptive way of living forces us to constantly make decisions about the products we go through: to destroy or repurpose into a new form of life. In Cargo Art, the material is often a deciding factor in the final outcome and the process is fast and raw; dangerous but disciplined, while telling a story of a new reality.
Toggi is a native of Hafnarfjörður. Between 1980 and 1982, he studied figure drawing at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts. He spent the winter of 1987–1988 at the Thorstedlund Folk High School in Frederikssund. In 1994 he graduated as a sculptor from the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts, but during his studies he also spent a year at the Academie Minerva in Holland, where he specialised in bronze casting.
During his studies at the ICAC he also had the opportunity to apprentice with sculptor Gestur Þorgrímsson, where he studied stone carving, and with sculptor Pétur Bjarnarson, where he studied metal casting and the craft of making a cast. Toggi also worked extensively as a set designer in both film and theatre before turning his hand to working with people and personal development as a counsellor.
Regardless of his day job, however, art and creation continued to be an integral part of Toggi's life, and in 2024 he finally decided to devote all his time to this calling. The result of this turning of the tide is Cargo Art.
There will be a special exhibition opening on Thursday, 6th February from 18:00-20:00 and everyone is welcome!
Other opening hours
Fri 7th Feb 16:00 – 22:00 (Museum Night)
Sat 8th Feb 12:00 – 16:00
Sunday 9th February 14:00 – 17:00
Thu. – Fri 11th-14th Feb 14:00 – 17:00
Sat 15th Feb 12:00 – 16:00
Sunday, 16th February, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
On Saturday, 28th February at 2 pm, the artist Eggert Pétursson will be welcoming guests and talking about his work at the exhibition Roða, which is coming to an end…
