Further Information

Learn about artist BANIPROSONNO and the Gullkistan Children books at the bottom of this chapter.
Below that, you can view images of all of Baniprosonno’s works that are available here, and there they are not cropped as they are in the list on the side.

A Gold Chest for Creative People

Gullkistan, Center for Creativity is named after a small cliff on top of a distant mountain. The word means a gold chest and a tale tells us that there is a treasure to be found there.

Gullkistan, Center for Creativity, runs an artist residency in two houses located on the mountain side at the edge of the Laugarvatn village. Since opening in 2009, we have hosted about 700 individuals from all over the world. It is common for artists to return more than once, and they also frequently recommend Gullkistan to colleagues who then follow in their footsteps.

Gullkistan is artist-run and operates on a non-profit basis.
Artists usually stay for one month, sometimes longer, usually four to seven at the same time. They work in all creative fields and research, and are given peace and space to work in a beautiful environment and good company. They eagerly explore the surrounding nature and also actively participate in various events in the local community.

A Gold Chest for all

Gullkistan opens its doors to the public when the timing is right. Open Studio events are often held at the end of each month, where artists read from their writings, hang their artwork, share the progress of their projects, and tell stories about the adventures they have experienced.

Artists have often offered free workshops to the public in papermaking, screen printing, creative writing, and many other subjects.

A Gold Chest for International Cooperation

Throughout the years, Gullkistan has participated in collaborations with institutions at home and abroad.

Several American university groups have come here.

We have taken part in two ambitious projects with a group in Bulgaria, both funded by the EEA Culture Fund. The second project involved a comparison of Bulgarian and Icelandic thermal culture.

We have hosted around 30 students and teachers from the Art School in Tartu, Estonia. They have stayed here for two months at a time for many years, supported by grants from the European Union’s Erasmus+ program.

A Gold Chest for Collaboration and Friendship

The artists often form strong bonds. This sometimes leads to collaboration and countless friendships that can never be valued highly enough.

The Gold itself

It brings joy when we receive news about the opening of exhibitions around the world where completed works are presented to the public, and when we receive a book in the mail that fits perfectly on the correct shelf in the Gullkistan library.

THE PROBLEM

For years, our copper-line internet connection has served us well. Now, with very short notice, this connection is being shut down.

THE SOLUTION

G5 equipment is simply not sufficient for the needs of our artists. The only viable solution is to install fiber-optic internet: digging a trench, laying the cable, and connecting it to our buildings. This will cost us at least 7800 US$ or 6800 € - an amount that is impossible for us to cover without support.

Your support matters

Your support will ensure that Gullkistan remains a place where artists can create, connect, and thrive.

Your payment will only be charged if we collect the targeted amount.

BANIPROSONNO and his donations to Gullkistan

Baniprosonno was born in Bengal India in 1932 and now lives in Shimla in the Indian Himalayas. Baniprosonno is always creative and an incredibly productive artist in everything he undertakes.

As a teenager, Baniprosonno left home, dropped out of school, and fled his family’s opposition to follow his creative calling. He survived a difficult beginning but was always determined to become an artist. He gradually gained a foothold, experimented with various forms of artistic expression, drew and painted, shaped forms in different materials, worked with ceramics, and has maintained a long and successful career as a recognized artist.

Baniprosonno has held more than one hundred solo exhibitions around the world, from Indian cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, and Mumbai to major cultural cities in Europe, including Paris, London, Berlin, Stockholm, and Reykjavík. His works have been displayed in respected institutions and galleries worldwide.

In addition to creating art, Baniprosonno shares his passion through teaching and doing workshops, especially for children. He writes poetry and fairy tales and plans to publish a cookbook entitled Cooking Without a Cookbook, much like his creative works, which are not confined to canvas or clay but appear in all aspects of his everyday life.

Baniprosonno has visited Iceland many times with his wife Putul, first in 2007, and since his second visit he has stayed at Gullkistan. Each time he has held several exhibitions and also conducted workshops with children, in addition to enriching everyone around him with pure joy for life.

With great generosity, he has left many works with Gullkistan in support of our work to create a safe and welcoming refuge for creative people. For this we are eternally grateful to them both.

The Gullkistan children books

In the spring of 2021, Kathrin Wohlgemuth from Switzerland stayed with us. She was working on a novel, but then she met the dog Kári and the cat Njála, which sparked ideas for children’s stories, so she took a short break from her other writing.

At the same time, Kristel Maamäki and Mette Mari Kaljas from Tartu in Estonia, and Alana Salguero from the United States, were also here. They loved the stories and created illustrations for them, laid them out as books that were then hand-sewn into beautiful bindings. Other artists at the residency also took part in that work.

They are supporting us in this fundraising effort, and we are sincerely grateful to them.

You can just imagine the strong friendships that this collaboration led to for the rest of their lives.

Below are the full images of all the works by Baniprosonno that are available here.

More and more Photos ...