Magnús Helgason remains true to his usual approach—always painting, yet engaged in "not painting." One of the core ideas behind the aesthetics of his work is to paint as little as possible, leaving behind minimal traces of his brushwork. Instead, he seeks to arrange the coincidences found along the way, letting nature take care of creating the art. His role is to recognise it and frame it. "I might be more of a framer than a painter," he says.
Litirnir eru sterkir, eins og oft áður. Þeir hafa einlægan og barnslegan blæ – en Magnús segist vinna út frá einhvers konar frumheila, forðast að ritskoða sjálfan sig og eltir það sem honum finnst. „Ég laðast að sterkum litum, svona er þetta bara.“
The evolution of his work is slow but continuous. The pieces in this exhibition result from 16 months of work, dating back to 2023. "I’m so close to the works that I don’t perceive the evolution until afterward."
The exhibition title, Geislapinnar Magnúsar 2025, references the energy present in the works. Bright colors shoot across the surface like beams of light. He wanted to give the pieces a contemporary or even futuristic feel and extensively used laser-guided tools to arrange them, ensuring precision. "I also think the title carries a certain optimism, which I find nice to send out into the ether."
