Oddur Eysteinn Friðriksson, known by his artistic alias Odee, has been forced to take down his website, samherji.co.uk, which hosted his artwork “We’re Sorry” after Samherji obtained an emergency legal ban on the site. Additionally, a judge in Britain ruled that Odee must hand over the artwork to Samherji but instructed the company not to take any action until the case reached its conclusion. This is based on local Icelandic media Heimildin.
“We’re Sorry” was a graduation project by Oddur from the Iceland Academy of the Arts. It was a poetic apology highlighting the company’s involvement in Namibia, where Samherji has been accused of bribery towards politicians. Oddur was summoned to court on May 19 but could not attend as he was in Iceland then.
“In my opinion, this lawsuit by Samherji is simply an act of aggression and coercion. They are trying to silence me using the same methods they have employed before. Samherji is notorious for its aggression against journalists, officials, artists, and anyone who criticizes them,” says Oddur in his interview with Heimildin; he adds that he is not surprised by the “overblown” reaction from Samherji.
He has now acquired legal representation for the case.