Joan Jonas (b. 1936 in New York) is a pioner artist of video art and performance. She is often inspired by the arctic landscape, as seen in the well-known video work Volcano Saga (1989). In the newer work Glacier (2010) parts of the recordings were done in Lofoten. This work will be in focus in the opening exhibition of Kunsthall Svalbard. Glacier is inspired by the Icelandic writer Haldor Laxnes' novel Under Breen (Under the Glacier). A version of the work have earlier been displayed at dOKUMENTA (13) in Kassel, 2012. Jonas is also the artist to represent USA at the Venezia Biennale 2015. Glacier is aquired to Northern Norway Art Museums collection. The artist is also represented in collections such as MoMa – Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum, both in New York.