Nonnabud Is Dead, Long Live Liborius.
“He who fears death cannot enjoy life”
A slogan with a very personal meaning for Jón Sæmundur Audarson and one that has served him well. The Icelandic native is an artist and, until recently, the proprietor of Nonnabúd a boutique/gallery in downtown Reykjavík.
In September, Jòn Sæundur opened Liborius (named after his grandmother’s Prussian family name), a new boutique in Reykjavik that carries brands like Ann Demeulemeester, Undercover, Jeremy Scott, 3asFour, Number (N)ine, Surface2air, and Pleasure Principle.
Jón Sæmundur, a graduate from Iceland Academy of Arts and Glasgow School of Art, has been active in the Icelandic art scene ever since he graduated in 2001. His art consists mostly of sculptures, paintings and video works, which he sometimes combines into larger installations.
Under his Dead trademark, Jón Sæmundur has used his designs on everything from t-shirts to ties. He considers his Dead range of clothing to be visual art; even though it’s art that’s ‘meant to be worn’ it can just as well decorate the living room wall. Dead is a brand that’s very close to his heart. In 1994 the artist was diagnosed HIV positive. Through Dead, Jón Sæmundur has been trying to open people’s eyes to the disease and the unnecessary fear and prejudice surrounding it.
Dead has gained a following amongst the rock & roll crowd. The clothing counts among its fans Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Brian Molko from Placebo, and Pink, all of whom have visited Iceland and fallen in love with Dead range. More recently, Hollywood seems to have caught on with new fans including directors Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino and actors Scarlet Johansen and Ewan Macgregor. Closer to home, two of Iceland's upcoming rock bands, Mínus and Singapore Sling, both support the Dead concept and wear the clothes frequently on stage.
Sadly Nonnabud is no more but with Liborius having just been born it looks like Dead is very much alive.
Our friends at Refinery29 have some photos of the new Liborius boutique
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Posted by: adx | 01/02/2008 at 02:00