Genelec loudspeakers are at the heart of Björk’s immersive exhibition Echolalia, running from late May through September 2026 at the National Gallery of Iceland. The installation marks the latest collaboration between the Finnish loudspeaker manufacturer and the Icelandic artist, who has used Genelec monitors for over 20 years.
The exhibition is built around three large-scale installations – Ancestress, Sorrowful Soil and Nerve Bloom – designed to take visitors on a sensory journey through Björk’s artistic world. Rather than a traditional retrospective, the format uses sound, space and emotion as its primary tools. Thirty speakers each transmit a single voice from the Hamrahlíð choir, with the multichannel audio system designed to support Björk’s artistic vision across the different spatial environments.
The system comprises Genelec’s SAM series 8341, 8351 and 8361 monitors, accompanied by 7370 and 7380 SAM studio subwoofers and Smart IP 4430 technologies. As a travelling exhibition, Genelec loudspeaker systems will support the installation across all future locations to ensure a consistent listening environment.
Björk said: “I have used Genelec for over 20 years – they put cream on everything. The exhibition has a speaker installation; we re-recorded each singer separately for Sorrowful Soil.”
Bergur Þórisson, Grammy-nominated recording engineer and musical director for Echolalia, added: “We went into creating this exhibition with a sound-first mindset. We wanted it to sound incredible. We have worked with Genelec speakers for a long time – we know they deliver the sound that we like and the sound that we want.”
The exhibition is presented alongside Metamorphlings, a complementary show by James Merry, Björk’s long-time collaborator, in Gallery 4 at the National Gallery of Iceland.
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