The Pelorus Trust mediagallery is set to launch its programme for 2008 this Friday 15 February at 5:30pm.

The evening will mark the opening of an exhibition of video work from fifteen contemporary Icelandic video artists entitled Á jaðrinum. Roughly translated as 'On the edge', the exhibition was curated by the Director of St Paul St Gallery, Leonhard Emmerling. The evening also features live music from renowned performance outfit The Droszkhi & Riffkah Space Disko! – Hit and Miss Signals from the Cosmos presented by Bek Coogan (Cortina) and Torben Tilly (Minit, Bad Statistics).

We will also be revealing the mediagallery's programme for the next six months with a special free gift for a lucky number of people.

Emmerling has previously curated an exhibition in Germany IS/NZ in 2004, featuring two artists from Iceland and New Zealand. "All the artists were talking about similarities (and, of course, differences), but found analogies mainly because of the remoteness and the character of being an island".

Now he takes this idea one step further by selecting a group of Icelandic artists who tackle some of the cultural stereotypes of Iceland with a particularly dry sense of humour. Ragnar Kjartansson plays with the cliché of melancholy and depression, standing on a bandstand to intone a ridiculous jazz ballad entitled, "Sorrow conquers Happiness." In another comic work the artist resolutely stares at the camera while his disgusted mother spits in his face. Elsewhere the artists reflect on Iceland's deserted landscapes, melancholy self-effacement and... Bjork-esque pixies.

Following Sweet Punch, last year’s Nordic video show, Á jaðrinum continues the theme of bringing international moving image work to the Film Archive mediagallery. The rest of 2008 sees exhibitions by artists from around New Zealand including works by Nova Paul and Sarah Jane Parton as well as the return of the Artists Film Festival. Exhibitions Manager Mark Williams says, "It really is important to support contemporary film and video because it is the future of our collections."