Arni & Kinski, an Icelandic duo known for directing visually rich, dramatic and often avant-garde photographic and motion picture work, has joined the roster of production house Wondros for commercial representation. Arni & Kinski’s work spans such brands as Acura, Cadillac, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Macy’s, Old Navy, JCPenney, Sealy, US Army, John Hancock, Budweiser, Coors, Milk, and Dentyne. Prior to connecting with Wondros, Arni & Kinski were most recently repped for spots by aWHITELABELproduct.
Arni & Kinski’s collaboration has centered on many visual and motion picture endeavors. After landing a record contract in the early 1990s, they quickly forged a name for themselves. Aside from music videos, early projects also included documentaries, graphic design, photography and partnership as creatives at ad agencies in Iceland. Their Levi’s “Kiss” spot was featured in SHOOT and their work for GE was awarded Silver at the New York Addy Awards.
While making their first imprints down the path of filmmaking, Arni & Kinski rose to prominence as founding members of music-film collective, GusGus. Their short film Pleasure was released in connection with the group’s debut album of the same name. This led to GusGus embarking on worldwide tours, featuring visuals created by Arni & Kinski, and the release of two more acclaimed albums, 1997’s Polydistortion and 1999’s This is Normal.
Arni & Kinski moved further into visual media, developing a motion picture style that is marked by luxurious lighting and camera movement with a skilled manipulation of time. They have directed lauded music videos for artists including Beth Orton, Florence and the Machine, Snow Patrol, Placebo, Iggy Pop, and Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan.
Collaborations with fellow Icelandic musical artists Jรณnsi and Sigur Rรณs have also especially proved successful for the team. Sigur Rรณs’ music video work, in particular, has received numerous honors.
In 2010, New York gallery Honey Space exhibited Arni & Kinski’s still photography collaborations with Jรณnsi, as well as their music video work with Sigur Rรณs. Jรณnsi were also featured in the 2012 Spectacle exhibit at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati.
Arni & Kinski, along with all the artists that make up Wondros’ commercial division, are represented nationally in the West by DiMaggio Representation, in the Midwest by Nikki Weiss & Co., and in the East by Hello Tomorrow.