Libia Castro (born 1970, Madrid) and Ólafur Ólafsson (born 1973, Reykjavík) are collaborative artists based in Rotterdam and Berlin.
Career Formed in 1997, their artistic practice has grown to encompass a variety of media, genres, and disciplines, from political history to gender studies and sociology. Castro and Ólafsson have exhibited their works at various international venues, including TENT Rotterdam, Liverpool Biennial, the 19th Sydney Biennale, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, and the 54th Venice Biennale.
Solo exhibitions 2014 Your Country Does Not Exist, Trondheim Kunstmuseum, Trondheim, Norway
2013 Asymmetry, Tent, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2012 Under Deconstruction, The National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland Two Ongoing Projects, Galerie Opdahl, Berlin, Germany
2011 Tu País no Existe, curated by Juan Antonio Alvarez, Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville, Spain Under Deconstruction, curated by Ellen Bluemenstein, Icelandic Pavillon, 54 Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy Constitution of Republic of Iceland, curated by Hanna Styrmisdottir, Hafnarborg Art Center, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
2010 Lobbyists, curated by Birta Guðjónsdóttir, The Living Art Museum, Reykjavík, Iceland
2009 Caregivers, curated by Inga Þórey, Suðsuðvestur, Iceland Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson, curated by Riccardo Crespi, text by Gabi Scardi, Galleria Riccardo Crespi, Milan, Italy Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson, Galerie Opdahl, Berlin, Germany
2008 Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson, Galeria Adhoc, Vigo, Spain Recent Works, curated by Valeria Schulte-Fischedick, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany Everybody Is Doing What They Can, curated by Hafpor Yngvason, Reykjavík Art Museum, Reykajavík, Iceland
2007 Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson, curated by Julieta Manzano, CAC Málaga, Málaga, Spain
2006 Demolitions and Excavations, Galerie Martin Van Zomeren, Amsterdam, Nethlerlands
2005 Bone-lady and The Happy Campaign, curated by Theo Tegelaers, Ministry of Work and Social Affairs, The Hague, Netherlands Dubble Ruimte, RAM Foundation, Rotterdam, Netherlands Dyn Lan Bestiet Net, Deiska The Collection, Amsterdam, Netherlands Dyn Lan Bestiet Net, Kunsthuis Syb, Friesland, Netherlands Chapter 3: The Noise of Money, Museum ASÍ, Reykjavík, Iceland
2004 Wir Wünschen Ihnen Einen Angenehmen Aufenthalt, curated by Theo Tegelaers, De Appel CAC, Amsterdam, Netherlands Mind Your Step, Step Your Mind, curated by T. Maars, Galerie Akademie Minerva, Groningen, Netherlands
2003 20 Minus Minutes, curated by Vasif Kortun, Platform Garanti Contemporary Art Center, Istanbul, Turkey Camurdili Araniyor! Camurdili Araniyor! / Searching for a Clay Language! Searching for a Clay Language!, Oda Projesi, Istanbul, Turkey
2002 Un Elemento Más, curated by Natalia Bravo, Alternativa Siglo 21, Málaga, Spain Mjög Skemmtileg Sýning, curated by Þóra Þóristdóttir, Gallerí Hlemmur, Reykjavík, Iceland Een Plassende Vrouw, curated by Marc Bijl, Central Train Station, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2001 Etnoskitzco, curated by Arno von Roosmalen, TENT Art centre, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2000 The Last Minute Show, Straumur Artist Residence, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland Shop Window at Laugavegur, Gallerí Sævar Karl, Reykjavík, Iceland Baggage + 8 Days / An Excavation, TOKO, Groningen, Netherlands 7 Performances, Dans Werkplaats Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
1999 De Voormalige HBS, De Voormalige HBS, Groningen, Netherlands
1998 Finding Each Other, Galerie Sign, Groningen, Netherlands
Awards 2009 Prix de Rome, Rijksakademie, Amsterdam, Netherlands Il Ventre di Napoli Project, BKVB Fonds, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2007 (shortlist), Prix Gilles Dusein, Paris, France
2006 (shortlist), Menningarverðlaun DV, Iceland
References