"SÝN” (Icelandic for Vision)

"SÝN”

(Icelandic for Vision)

By Lilja Gudmundsdottir 

Medium: Photography 

Showing at the Nevada City Winery Gallery: Wednesday, January 21st - Monday, May 2nd (show extended)

About the Show

Photographer Lilja Gudmundsdottir’s exhibit: “SÝN” (Icelandic for Vision) contains all the beauty of an ancient and revered river, the Yuba - the Uba (in the Nisenan language), while it also brings the viewer as close as possible to the Yuba’s natural visible and not so visible secrets.

This series vividly and pristinely shows reflective water, light, boulders, plant life, banks, and rich colors, but Lilja’s talents shine in her capturing of the river’s hidden, jeweled views. She does so by literally going knee deep, camera in hand, exploring over, under, and around to find the mysteries of immense boulders, crevasses, cracks, or whisps of branches seemingly embracing and reaching for a softly lit boulder. She has an astute ability to use distinctive fresh angles, supported by her impassioned interpretive eye.

...The river’s imprint and secrets glow sensually through her lens...

“SÝN” has a timelessness and wholeness that may redefine the viewer’s perceptions and everyday sense of sight. 

Along with nature’s beauty and raw chaos, the abstract is ever-present. Lilja understands that and has a clear sense of the lines, curves, angles, shadows, and splashes of light. Her thoughtful compositions gracefully grasp the abstract by virtue of her capacity to seize the right moment and hold it tenderly. 

Artist Statement

Artist Lilja Gudmundsdottir talks about her show “Sýn” at the Nevada City Winery Gallery.

“Sýn” is my gift to you. 

Sharing with you my way of seeing my vision of the river.

I am compelled to capture what captures me. When at the river, I become obsessed with the perspectives I discover. They speak to me. Wading through the water, crawling into crevices, I dance around a scene for hours, watching the changing light reveal new visions. 

Why do I share my art? The answer is connection!

Connection in every sense of the word. The river brings me connection to myself in my busy world. The river brings me connection to nature. 

The river brings me connection to others through sharing how I connect, inviting them back into connection with nature and each other, united by the wonder of it all.

Presented at the Nevada City Winery Gallery, “Sýn" is my invitation to slow down, to look closely, and to see through my eyes. 

About the Artist

Lilja Gudmundsdottir is an art photographer based in Nevada City.

Her work is close-up, abstract images of nature, particularly of the river. 

She explores perspective, form, and light, and her work offers a different viewpoint of familiar environments.

In this exhibit, “SÝN”, most of her photography is presented under acrylic glass.

Recent exhibitions include: 

Open Studios Nevada County, Oct 2024 and 2025

Solo show at Nonni’s in Pleasanton, March 2025

One River, Many Visions at Seven Stars Gallery, Nevada City, Jan-Feb 2024 and 2025