Gardar Eide Einarsson

This is the Tokyo Underworld seen through Gardar Eide Einarson's eyes: ten black and white paintings without any recognisable visual references to the Japanese gangster milieu.

Typical of Einarsson's work is that there is much more activity going on beneath the surface than on it. His work refers the alternative, parallel existences, and in-between spaces in the structure of society and organisations, enabling him to see the official political, economic and cultural systems in a critical light. Already before you enter the exhibition space, Einarsson's social structure critique - the process of including and excluding - is made obvious as the viewer passes through the artist's unique iron construction based on American pawn shop doors.

The paintings are titled after each of the ten chapters from the book Tokyo Underworld by Robert Whiting, a gripping account of American Nick Zappetti's life as a self-declared mafia boss in Tokyo. The final element to the exhibition is a crude, home-made black hood – the basic, universal form of self concealment.

GARDAR EIDE EINARSSON

Born 1976, Oslo, Norway
Lives and works in Tokyo, Japan

Gardar Eide Einarsson explores themes of personal liberty, belonging, and the ideological effects of propaganda through found materials and diverse media such as installations, paintings, and sculptures. His work navigates the tension between personal liberty and the constraints imposed by collective systems, often with a wry sense of humor. While invoking themes of subversion and anti-institutional critique, Einarsson’s work situates itself within a broader reflection on the artist’s classical role in society rather than a direct call for upheaval.

By interrogating how images and materials shape ideological constructs, Einarsson reflects on the intersections of freedom, belonging, and propaganda. His practice critically engages with contemporary art's institutional framework, exploring how individual and collective identities are shaped within these structures. Through his nuanced approach, Einarsson challenges viewers to reconsider the boundaries between autonomy and conformity in a highly mediated world.

Download artist's CV

Gardar Eide Einarsson: TOKYO UNDERWORLD

Gardar Eide Einarsson
TOKYO UNDERWORLD

September 1 – October 8, 2006
Islands brygge, Copenhagen

GARDAR EIDE EINARSSON

CONTACT

GLENTEVEJ 49

2400 COPENHAGEN

HOLBERGSGADE 19

1057 COPENHAGEN

Cookie preferences

Join our mailing list

Gardar Eide Einarsson: TOKYO UNDERWORLD

Gardar Eide EinarssonTOKYO UNDERWORLD

September 1 – October 8, 2006Islands brygge, Copenhagen

GARDAR EIDE EINARSSON

Gardar Eide Einarsson
TOKYO UNDERWORLD

September 1 – October 8, 2006
Islands brygge, Copenhagen