The road
1963 Born in í Kopavogur, Iceland
1974 Grew up in Neskaupsstadur, Iceland
1982 Bought his first camera in Reykjavik iceland
1982 Joined photo club "Hugmynd '81" , Reykjavik Iceland
1988 Became president of "Hugmynd 81"
1989 Became a Press Photographer at Dagur newspaper in Akureyri in stead of going to Photography school.
1992 Studied photography in Gothenburg 1992 - 1994
1994 Started working as freelance photographer doing advertising and fine-art photography
Photography in my heart
In spite of studies in advertising photography my heart has always been with photography as fine art and I have done several experiments in that field. From the time I graduated with digital images, big part of my work has gone into researching what is photograph and what makes it such in the age of digital revolution and changes in the medium. Into that work I have mixed poetry and sound and made what I call poetrypictures. I also work with street photography and in the years 2006 - 2008 I traveled through North and Central america doing street photography and conceptual works. Work I now keep doing in Europe
Lately I have returned to simplicity in Photography as well as working with poetrypictures, adding more poetry, sound and video to my works. Multidimensional Photography in digital area is my game.
Image techniques
Kristjan has for long time been in the forefront of digital photography in Iceland and is among the first Icelandic Photographers to graduate with digital fine art images as his final exam work.
"...............The technology made for a change in course and new fields to be explored. All the experiments of in camera multiple exposures and light trickery was to change and move into the computer. I loved this, actually so much that 10 days before the final exam and our graduate exhibition I jumped in to the darkroom of computer age. Every image that I had made and prepared for the exhibition was thrown out and I started working on new images with the aid of a computer. I wanted to do digital images based on short poems i had written to my wife. The digital cameras that we had access to where not good enough. Therefore I had to go out shoot images on film. Develop, Print and then scan them before I could start working on the final collage. Collage it had to be as the quality of digital printing was not good enough and the capability of computers working on big files was none. Therefor my ideas had to be adjusted to the capabilities of the technology. I had to learn, and experiment along the way............."
Photography and post process
Digital photography, post-process in Photoshop, Lightroom and other digital software as well as film based photography and post-process like scanning and color correcting or digitally manipulating images are all in his toolbox of the trade. Also archive, archiving and archive strategies along with IPTC and work on metadata.
Education
Fotoskolan Vasa Vuxengymnasium, Gothenburg, Sweden, Photography, 1992 -1994
Graduated as one of the first photographers in Iceland with digital photography and digital image manipulation.
Solo exhibitions
1983 first solo show in Neskaupstadur.
1992 second solo show now in Reykjavík. BW images of people.
1995 third solo exhibition in Reykjavík. Digital poetry pictures and BW work - Variation of anger.
1996 "Black and White". Kristjans first by invitatin only - internet exhibition at Cycloid Phathom gallery
1996 "From the coloring book" his forth solo show in Reykjavík.
2002 Fifth solo show "Big Step" computer altered Photography. Galery Icelandic Graphic
2004 Galery VFI Big step Bienal version.
2012 Gallery Caballo blanco Norway - Familiarity - mini exhibition
Group exhibitions
1992 Partisipated in group exhibition with photoclub Hugmynd '81
1998 Group exhibition LÍ/BLÍ in Kopavogur. "Music for ordinary instrument/daily disco" Black and white
1998 Group exhibition Gallery Skruggusteinn. "Music for ordinary instrument/daily disco" Black and white
1999 Group exhibition LÍ/BLÍ. "Portret" compitition among press photgraphers.
2000 Group exhibition LÍ/BLÍ. "in memory" computer altered Photography
2001 Group exhibition LÍ/BLÍ. "Poetry-Pictures" computer altered Photography and poetry.
2001 Salurinn art fest. "The cliff" multimedia. Pictures,poetry and sound..
2002 Group exhibition LÍ/BLÍ. "Relationship of a man and a woman" BW computer altered Photography.
2003 Florence international bienale de Art, part of the Big step exhibition
2004 Paper - Group exhibition LÍ - Salurinn Kopavogur Iceland
Lectures/speach
2009 -2010 Usa My way - Where are the people. Lecture/showcase series in, National museum of Iceland, Icelandic school of photography, MA Akureyri and Focus Reykjavik
Publication
1997 Book of Poetry an Pictures called "trail". Only 1 copy exists. The book is traveling around in Iceland
2009 USA My Way - where are the people - Self publish.
Awards/Grants
1996 Epica - finalist. Europian advertizing awards
1997 Epica - finalist. Europian advertizing awards
1997 Kopavogur artist grant.
2003 Myndstef Artist grant
Art Projects
2005 - Coordinator of international speakers/photographers for Icelandic photographers associations photo conference
2006 - Coordinator of international speakers/photographers for Icelandic photographers associations photo conference on its 80th years anniversary
2009 - Founder/director of Sjónarhorn - Monthly photography showcase/panel in cooperation with National museum of Iceland and Icelandic photographers association
