The National Gallery of Iceland today announces a major new exhibition by Björk, the internationally acclaimed musician, artist and innovator whose work continues to redefine the intersections of sound, nature, technology, fashion and contemporary art.
Opening in Reykjavík on 30 May 2026, the exhibition brings together three large-scale audiovisual installations, including two deeply personal works written in memory of Björk’s mother, alongside a newly commissioned film and sound installation developed from material connected to her forthcoming musical work.
The exhibition premieres with Björk appearing in a look by Bottega Veneta, who joined the project as patron of Nerve Bloom and partner of the exhibition, helping the realisation of the work as part of an ongoing dialogue between fashion, moving image and experimental performance.
At the centre of the exhibition are Ancestress and Sorrowful Soil, originally released during Björk’s acclaimed Fossora era and now reimagined on a theatrical scale within a museum context for the first time.
Set within a remote Icelandic valley, Ancestress unfolds as a ritualistic meditation on ancestry, grief and renewal, merging cinematic landscape with choral procession and movement.
Sorrowful Soil is presented as an immersive nine-part choral sound installation, featuring thirty individual speaker channels transmitting voices from the Hamrahlíð Choir under the direction of Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir. Developed in partnership with Genelec, the work transforms the gallery into a spatial listening environment where voice, resonance and architecture become inseparable.
Genelec supports the exhibition by providing the sound system that enables the works to be experienced as spatial compositions. The collaboration focuses on how accurate and neutral sound reproduction can support the artistic vision, allowing each piece to unfold naturally within the space and connect with the audience.
Alongside these works, visitors will encounter a newly created installation drawn from Björk’s forthcoming body of work, offering an early glimpse into her next creative chapter through sound, film and immersive technology.
The exhibition is further supported through creative and technical collaborations with Apple, who join as VR partner, and AIAIAI, who provide headphone technology throughout the exhibition experience. Additional partnerships will be announced in due course.
Presented concurrently in Gallery 4 is Metamorphlings, a companion exhibition by James Merry, Björk’s longtime visual collaborator and co-creative director, exploring sculpture, transformation and hand-crafted organic forms.
Alongside the exhibition, Björk will also present Echolalia, a one-day solar eclipse rave taking place on Wednesday 12 August 2026 at Víðistaðatún in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland.
Coinciding with a rare solar eclipse, the event will culminate in one minute and four seconds of totality, during which the moon completely obscures the sun and Iceland is briefly submerged in darkness.
The gathering will feature a DJ set from Björk alongside performances from Arca, Sideproject and Ronja, while also celebrating the 40th anniversary of the influential Icelandic collective and label Smekkleysa.
Festival passes will include access to the Echolalia exhibition at the National Gallery of Iceland, alongside limited collector’s edition merchandise and publication packages.
Further information surrounding Echolalia, the eclipse event and Björk’s forthcoming new work will be announced soon.
PUBLIC OPENING: 30 MAY, 6PM – 8PM
EXHIBITION RUNS: 31 MAY – 20 SEPTEMBER 2026
TICKETS:HERE
