Location: Lækjargata, Reykjavik
Artist: Magnús Tómasson
The Unknown Bureaucrat is a popular favourite, as it manages to be both humorous and provocative, while truthfully depicting something that most everyone can relate to, the trivial existence of the working bee. The block of rock is a perfect metaphor for how everyday life crushes down on us, while at the same time depicting the narrative of the faceless official who is only a cog in the wheel, and never a person to most of us. Even the location is a thoughtful comment on the trivial existence of the Unknown Bureaucrat, in a closed off back alley. You really have to make an effort to find him, sealed off from any relevance, and the rest of the world in his isolated little corner of the universe.
