SHOPLIFTER

‘Xanadu’, 2022

Format Festival
Bentonville, Arkansas U.S.A.
September 2022

ART DIRECTION, CURATION, STRATEGY & PRODUCTION BY TRIADIC

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Shoplifter (b.1969) is one of Iceland's leading contemporary artists. Working with both synthetic and natural hair, her sculptures, wall murals and site-specific installations explore themes of vanity, self-image, fashion, beauty and popular myth. For Shoplifter, hair is the ultimate thread that grows from our body. Hair is an original, creative fiber, a way for people to distinguish themselves as individuals, often as an art form. Humor plays a large role in her life and work, sometimes subtly, and at other times dominantly.

‘Xanadu’ is an idyllic and exotic oasis, a wild forest of fuzzy totem poles covered in her signature medium synthetic hair extensions. The work is a continuation of the artist’s journey into maximalist three-dimensional art, with colorful vibrancy. Welcome to this alien, hyper-natural landscape ‘painting’, standing in stark contrast to the nature surrounding Sugar Creek.