Asalaus
Bio: Ása Önnu Ólafsdóttir (she/her, b. 2000), also known as Asalaus, is a sound artist, musician and composer hailing from Reykjavík, Iceland. Her works have been commissioned, exhibited and performed widely in Europe and the United States. Notable exhibitions and performances include Satellite Art Show, TRAMPS gallery, The BLANC, and Wallach Gallery in New York, in Glasgow at Nordic Music Days, in Reykjavík at Dark Music Days, the Reykjavík Art Museum, and Iceland Airwaves, and in Mexico at Neofonía. Ása currently lives and works in New York as she completes her MFA at Columbia University School of the Arts.
Thesis Exhibition
Artist Statement: The relationship between object and sound is often at the center of my practice. Materials, such as magnetic tape and ceramics, guide the process of my work, and improvisation is an indispensable part of it. Current explorations are focused on functions of audio hardware and technology in sculptural installations, as well as themes of geology, seismic activity, and seismic waves, all of which inform my work today.
Asalaus
earth fragments, 2026
Wild clay, stoneware clay, copper wire,
magnets, and electronics
Courtesy of the artist
&
beckoning, 2026
Gelatin silver print and sound
Courtesy of the artist
&
Hofsjökull eystri 1890–2060, 2026
Screen print on paper
Courtesy of the artist
&
Fjall, 2026
Wild clay on stoneware
Courtesy of the artist
First Year Exhibition
Ása Önnu Ólafsdóttir
mótspyrna tímans, mýkt vatnsins (the resistance of time, the softness of water), 2025
Clock mechanism, tape head, 35mm film, magnetic tape, electrical circuit, LED light, aluminium, glass, plastic, wire, and battery
Courtesy of the artist