Björk, the Icelandic pop icon and multidisciplinary artist, is opening an exhibition of immersive works titled "Echolalia" at the National Gallery of Iceland, coinciding with the 2026 Reykjavik Arts Festival. The show features installations tied to her forthcoming album and her 2022 album Fossora, including "Ancestress" and "Sorrowful Soil," the latter a tribute to her late mother. Simultaneously, the museum will host "Metamorphlings," the first museum retrospective for James Merry, the embroiderer behind many of Björk's masks, presenting over 80 works from the past decade.
This dual exhibition matters because it marks a rare institutional collaboration between a globally renowned pop artist and a national museum, bridging avant-garde music, visual art, and performance. It also elevates Merry's craft from costume design to fine art, while the National Gallery of Iceland's full commitment to these shows signals a growing trend of museums embracing interdisciplinary, immersive experiences that attract broader audiences.