A Call for Curatorial Proposals for Hafnarborg´s Autumn Exhibition 2013

Hafnarborg offers you a chance to submit a proposal for an exhibition in autumn 2013.
This is the third time Hafnarborg asks for curatorial proposals, the first being in autumn 2010 when the exhibition In Between was selected out of numerous interesting proposals. We are expecially looking to give a chance to curators with a short carreer in curating.

The deadline to submit proposals is monday 15th of october 2013.  We only accept proposals submitted by email. Send your proposals to the email address  haust2013@hafnarfjordur.is. 

The application process:

Part 1

In the first round of the application process, participants are asked to provide the following information:
- Description of the project where the focus is on the idea behind the exhibition. Maximum of 1000 words. 
- Curators CV.
- Short CV´s of artists and others participating in the exhibition project.
Give as accurate a description as possible within the limited amount of words.  Exhibition catalogues, pictures or dvd´s are not accepted in the first round.  Hafnarborg´s art council and the museum director will evaluate received proposals and choose a few for further consideration. 

Part 2

Curators whose proposals have been selected for further elaboration are offered to send in additional material such as exhibition catalogues, pictures or dvd´s. At this stage a viable budget for the exhibition must be created.  The autumn exhibition 2013 will be chosen from this selection of proposals before December 1st 2012.

Send your proposals to the email address  haust2013@hafnarfjordur.is. Confirmation email of receiving your proposal will be sent to you. Please contact us if you do not receive the confirmation email.  All results will be sent via email.  

Further information here

Prelude - Sigurður Guðjónsson

The exhibition Prelude, a new film installation by Sigurður Guðjónsson opened in Sverrissalur on Thursday the 16th of February.

Sigurður Guðjónsson makes video works in which image, sound, and space form a seamless whole. He finds his ideas in his immediate environment, often in abandoned and dark places. These become settings for movement and sound that have laws of their own and generate a strong atmosphere. The present work, Prelude (2012), is a film installation marking a departure in mood from that of Guðjónsson’s past work.  Here the finish, coloring, and setting convey a distinct sense of nostalgia.

Prelude shows a naked man in an empty room that opens onto a hall with several doors.the subject’s rhythmic motion and bodily weight affect the setting. A shadow falls across the wall; the creak of floorboards echoes through the space. The man hears his own weight as he connects with the floor, while seemingly wrestling with his own shadow and struggling to affect his surroundings through sound. The nude postures recall classical anatomical artistic themes, while the rhythm of movement links the work to primal energy and shamanistic, transcendent experience. Over the pictorial surface lie steel wires or strings, underscoring the concord of sound and image in the work’s classical setting. A shadow moves slowly along the steel strings, making a lulling sound in cadence with the man’s motion, a counterpoint to the sound he creates with his body in the space. Bodily nearness, sound, and the emptiness of the set create a pervasive uncanny mood, carrying the work’s emotional weight and impetus. Prelude draws the viewer into a sound-space and visual world in which repetition and rhythm create an atmosphere referring to both a cultural background and a mental state.

Sigurður Guðjónsson is known primarily for video works that integrate a sound-space and visual world. His exceptionally meticulous presentation and personal pictorial world have earned him a place among Iceland’s premier video artists. In Iceland Guðjónsson’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in such distinguished spaces as the Reykjavik Art Museum and the National Gallery of Iceland; abroad, Guðjónsson has also shown his work in solo exhibitions as well as in group exhibitions alongside leading contemporary artists. Guðjónsson earned a BA from Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2003 and did graduate work at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.

Thursday the 1st of March: Artist´s Talk
The exhibition ends on the 9th of April

The exhibitions Still Life - still life paintings by Icelandic artists of different generations and Pleaser, an exhibition by Harpa Björnsdóttir opened in Hafnarborg on Saturday the 7th of January.



Still Life
The exhibition Still Life focuses on still life paintings by Icelandic artists of different generations, some better known for other types of work. Artworks from the Hafnarborg collection will be on display as well as works from other public and private collections. This is an opportunity to see works by some of the country’s most important 20th century artists such as Louisa Matthíasdóttir, Kjarval, Kristín Jónsdóttir, Jón Stefánsson and Gunnlaugur Blöndal. Curated by Ólöf K. Sigurðardóttir and Þorbjörg Br. Gunnarsdóttir.






Pleaser - Harpa Björnsdóttir
The work of Harpa Björnsdóttir (b. 1955) deals in one way or another with the role and place of the artist, the message he brings to his environment and the cultural world of ideas and symbols which artists often refer to. The creation, the truth in art and the route to the core of the artistic experience are subjects close to her and she has made ambiguous pieces where the classical world of symbols and historical references guide the viewer´s artistic experience. She has found a channel for her ideas in a variety of mediums and has exhibited paintings, sculptures, reliefs, water colours, prints, photographs and video installations in addition to her poetry having been published.

Tuesday 6. December a Christmas Lunch Time Concert was held in Hafnarborg

This Lunc Time concert it was Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir a mezzosopran singer who was our guest. It was the forth lunch time concert and final this fall 2011with Antonia Hevesi. Guðrún studied at the Reykjavík College of Music under Rut Magnússon, before moving to London, where she completed a Master of Music degree and the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, studying with Professor Laura Sarti. She then furthered her studies with mezzo-soprano Alicia Nafé in MadridEverybody are welcomed and always free entrance. On the program was José R. Gomis, Jesusín, canción de cuna, and Georges Bizet, Habanera from Carmen to name a few. The next Lunch time concert will be held on Tuesday the 7th of February 2012 and our guest will be another mezzosopran singer, Sigríður Ósk. For more information about Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir you can find on her website here. 


 

Coherence - Hildur Bjarnadóttir & Guðjón Ketilsson

Saturday 29. October - 30. December 2011  


The artists Hildur Bjarnadóttir and Guðjón Ketilsson channel their ideas through pieces where coherence and unity of form and content draw the viewer into the artists´ own footsteps. The artists both have a keen eye for the unique which through their work becomes a symbol of the general, with wide reference to history and the present. Hildur and Guðjón´s pieces have in common that their choice of material and conceptual content form a unit where perfect coherence reigns.


Hildur Bjarnadóttir (born 1969) graduated from the Icelandic College of Art & Crafts in 1992 and finished her MFA at Pratt Institute in New York in 1997. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions and held many solo exhibitions both in Iceland and abroad, particularly in North America. Hildur has received recognition and awards both in Iceland and internationally, including The Icelandic Visual Art Award in 2006. Her works are a part of public and private collections both in Iceland and abroad.


Guðjón Ketilsson (b.1956) graduated from the Icelandic College of Art & Crafts in 1978. He did his graduate studies at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Canada in 1979 - 80. Guðjón´s work has been exhibited in more than thirty solo exhibitions and various group exhibitions in Iceland and internationally including Scandinavia, Spain, USA and Australia. His work are in most main museum‘s collections in Iceland as well as in private collections abroad. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue. Curator Ólöf K. Sigurðardóttir director of Hafnarborg.













Metamorphosis - Hildur Yeoman and Saga Sigurðardóttir

Saturday 29. October - 30. December 2011  



Metamorphosis is a exhibition of collaboration between Hildur Yeoman, Fashion designer and illustrator and Saga Sigurdardottir, photographer. They're installation will be based on the ideas they use in their work in fashion and will be on display in Sverrissal. Boundaries between art forms can be blurred. Designers, architects, photographers and artists often work on these boundaries and utilise the visual qualities of different forms. In the exhibition Metamorphosis, light is shed onto the collaboration between Hildur Yeoman, fashion designer and fashion illustrator, and Saga Sigurðardóttir, photographer, who both have received well-earned attention for their work in their short carriers. Their exhibition in Sverrissalur combines Hildur‘s colourful design and Saga‘s magical photographs in an expressive and vibrant installation. They build up an atmosphere with texture, colour and sound which results in a strong visual experience that echoes the spirit of the times. The exhibition‘s basic theme belongs to the world beneath the surface of the sea, where the rhythm is soft and floating, but also cold and dark.



Hildur Yeoman graduated with a BA degree in fashion design from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts in 2006 alongside internships with Jonathan Saunders in London and Yazbukey in Paris in 2004. Hildur designed an accessories collection where she places traditional handicrafts in a new context. The collection consists of colourful necklaces, head decorations and bags which take the form of poodles and other animals. She premiered her second clothes collection Cherry Bomb at the Reykjavík Fashion Festival (RFF) in 2011 and received good reviews. In the last few years, Hildur has made a name for herself as a fashion illustrator alongside her design and has illustrated for various designers here at home and abroad.



Saga Sigurðardóttir lives and works in London where she recently completed a BA degree in fashion photography at the London College of Fashion. Alonside her studies, she has worked on varied projects and created a unique place for herself within the profession. She has worked with several varied designers in a short career and her photographs have appeared in big fashion magazines such as Dazed and Confused, Dazed Digital and Topshop 214. Saga‘s photographs are characterized by a personal style with great narrative joy where interesting people appear enveloped in colourful design. The exhibition now in Hafnarborg was part of the Nordic Fashion Biennale held in Seattle in the United States this September. The music composition accompanying the exhibition is by Þórður Sigurðsson and the exhibition‘s curator is Klara Þórhallsdóttir.

In Between - exhibition opening in Hafnarborg 26th of August

The exhibition refers to the Renaissance cabinet of curiosities, a cultural phenomenon known to be the predecessor of today’s public museums. The curiosity cabinet consisted of masses of relics, trophies and other tangible objects that European aristocrats brought home from distant shores, as specimens of the many wonders of the world.

The aim of the project is to create a platform for a critical discourse on knowledge production with particular attention to the role of the art museum and art works themselves. It is an output of a complex working process, where the participating artists and curator have met regularly to discuss the intriguing issues of wonder, collecting and knowledge, sometimes with the participation of academic scholars. The artists have contributed extensively to the project development, in addition to making new work on this occasion.

Artists: Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir & Mark Wilson, Daníel Björnsson, Gretar Reynisson, Haraldur Jónsson, Hildigunnur Birgisdóttir, Hugsteypan (Ingunn Fjóla Ingþórsdóttir & Þórdís Jóhannesdóttir), Ingirafn Steinarsson, Jeannette Castioni, Magnús Árnason, Olga Bergmann, Ólöf Nordal og Skyr Lee Bob (Erna Ómarsdóttir, Guðni Gunnarsson & Lieven Dousselaere).

Program related to the exhibition:

Exhibition seminar will be held 15th of October at 1pm. Keynote speaker: Bryndís Snæbjörnsdóttir. See further information about the exhibition at www.hafnarborg.is

Sunday 28th August at 3 pm - Curator's Talk
A curator's talk with the Ólöf Gerður Sigfúsdóttir who curated the exhibition In Between. The aim of this project is to create a platform for a critical discourse on knowledge production with particular attention to the role of the art museum. The artists have contributed extensively to the project development, in addition to making new work for this occasion. Free entrance. See more about the exhibition here.


Sunday 11th September at 3 pm - Artis´s Talk
Hugsteypan is an collaboration between the artists Ingunn Fjóla Ingþórsdóttir and Þórdís Jóhannesdóttir but they have collaborated as Hugsteypan since 2008. Through installations, Hugsteypan explores the boundaries between scientific research and artistic expression. Their vork resembles research process, focusing on art history, visual culture, representation and the interpretation of artworks. Together they will lead a tour and discussion of his exhibition In Between.

Thursday 15th of September at 8 pm - Artis´s Talk
Daníel Björnsson and Ingirafn Steinarsson will lead a tour and discussion of their exhibition In Between. Daníel has taken part in several group exhibition and solo exhibitions. He explores the nature of art as a resource of knowledge and the boundaries between what can be visualized and what can´t in a very subtle way. Ingirafn graduate from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and the Malmö Art Academy. In his works he studies the similarities between the functionality of objects, nature and human behavior. More inforamtion about the exhibition here. 
 
Sunday 25th of September at 2 pm - Guided tour for the family
A guided tour for children and their parents around the current exhibitions In Between works by 16 different artist´s. The exhibition refers to the Curiosity cabinet, a Renaissance cultural phenomenon known to be the predecessor of modern public museums. We welcome you to join us on a exploring expedition through the wonders of the art world.  More about the exhibition here. Free entrance.

Sunday 2nd of Ocotber at 3 pm - Artis´s Talk
Ólöf Nordal and Olga Bergmann will lead a tour and discussion of their exhibition In Between. Olga has in her works addresses issues related to natural sciences such as genetic engineering and cloning, as well as the role of today´s museums. In Ólöf ´s work she explores the fabric of mythologies.  She seeks that which falls outside the boundaries of norms and systems and thus becomes the material of folklore, myth and traditional belief.  Ólöf´s work has connotations to both past and future and also sheds relevant light on current issues.  More inforamtion about the exhibition here. 

An exhibition of works by JBK Ransu and Guðrún Bergsdóttir which forms a part of the Life and Art WithOut Boundaries Festival. One of the main aims of the festival is to bring together professional artists and disabled people to engage them and highlight this in the public eye. The exhibition runs until 19^th of June.

Wednesday 1. June at 8 pm -  Art Talk - Life and Art Without Boundaries
Bright Days
Hafnarborg welcome you to an art talk with the artist JBK Ransu, he will talk about his exhibition Absrtact  with works by JBK Ransu and Guðrún Bergsdóttir at 8 pm.  The exhibition is a part of the Life and Art Without Boundaries Festival held in Iceland for the eighth time this spring. More information about the exhibition here.

Thursday evening 26. May at 8 pm
Curators Talk
The Ideas of the architect and artist Einar Thorsteinn will be discussed on a Curator Talk at Hafnarborg 8 pm with one of the curator Guðmundur Oddur Magnússo also known as Goddur. Einar´s ideas are based on his faith in the ingenuity and technology can build a better world if the two properly applied. On display are drawings, models, art works and design objects that Einar has won the past four decades. Free entrance and more info here.

Thursday 7. April at 12 pm
Lunch Time Concert
Our third lunch time concert 2011with Antonia Hevesi will be on the 7th of April and our gest is the icelandic mezzosopran Sigríður Aðalsteinsdóttir. Everybody are welcomed and always free entrance. See more about the concert here

Sunday 27. February  2011  at 15 pm
Artist´s Talk
The artist duo Libia and Ólafur talked about their work . The duo worked in a collaboration with the composer Karólína Eiríksdóttur and commissioned Karólína to write a music piece based on the constitution of the Republic of Iceland. A video installation built on the performance which took place in Hafnarborg on the 12th of February will be ongoing at the museum until the 13th of March. Everybody are welcomed and free entrance. See further information about the exhibition  here.

 Saturday 5. February at 2 pm
Collage Workshop for Children
Collage and construct with a variety of colored paper after examining paintings by Eiríkur Smith from the exhibition Fragments of Nature. More information of the exhibition here. Workshop for children and their adult companions. This program is free.

Kjarvalar - Stefán Jónsson
08. January - 21. February 2011  

The Kjarvals or ‘Kjarval works’ of Stefán Jónsson (b. 1964) are three-dimensional representations of the paintings of Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval (1885-1972). In enlisting the aid of an artist who has long personified Iceland’s cultural heritage in visual art, Stefán Jónsson playfully confronts the heritage of the past. The exhibition also includes graphic works that underscore Kjarval’s presence, his work and persona. Stefán Jónsson has previously taken on art-historical burdens by rendering the works of masters such as Giotto and Goya in three dimensions, using, among other things, Lego figures. He breaches gaps in common notions of postmodernist art by deconstructing and analyzing works commonly seen as integral to cultural history. More information here.


Fragments of Nature – Eiríkur Smith – Abstract Works 1957-1963
08. January - 06. February 2011  

The painter Eiríkur Smith (b. 1925) has a long and rich career behind him. In recent years he has been known especially for paintings in which man is in the foreground, encircled by highly-charged landscapes and human constructions. Over Smith’s long career his art has changed markedly, not only with the times but also through Smith’s determination to depart from certain compositional styles and explore new paths. Fragments of Nature presents works dating from 1957 to 1963 in which the artist draws inspiration from natural forms. Here his work’s driving force becomes emotional engagement with the colours and shapes of the terrain. The palette of these works is fairly simple: bright colours shine from complex but dark grounds. As the works’ titles indicate, Smith prefers dramatic natural experiences to summer sunshine.


Saturday 29. Januray at 12 pm
Dark Music days
During the dark days of the long Icelandic winter, music lovers have taken comfort in the annual contemporary music festival Dark Music days. Concert will be held at Hafnarborg on the 29th of January at 12 pm ,,Faces,, Violin and Piano, Una Sveinbjarnadóttir and Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir


The exhibition Formal Discipline Works by Eiríkur Smith 1951 – 1957 will be opened on Saturday 26th of June at 3 pm in Hafnarborg is the first in a series which celebrate his career and will continue over the next few years to introduce his versatile style. Eiríkur Smith was born 1925 in Hafnarfjörður and studied at the Icelandic College of Art & Crafts from 1946-48 and subsequently completed his further studies in the private art school Rostrup Böyesens, Copenhagen 1949-50. Furthermore he went to study in Paris from 1950-51. His career can be divided into periods in terms of style, composition and years all of which can be  considered an important part of Icelandic Art History. Eiríkur Smith's art works are a large part of the Hafnarborg Art Collection.  The theme of this exhibition follows an indepth study and analysis of his career and will primarily consist of works from two era´s.

Sunday 27th of June at 3 pm - Gallery Talk with the curator and director of Hafnarborg Ólöf K. Sigurðardóttir and the assistant curator Heiðar Kári Rannversson.

May 16th - June 20th 2010 - Sites works by the German photographer Friderike von Rauch - Hafnarborg, the Hafnarfjörður Centre for Culture and Fine Arts, presents an exhibition of works by the German photographer Friederike von Rauch (b. 1967), who has garnered attention for her limpid, tranquil photographs of familiar and unfamiliar locales. Through her pictures, Rauch seeks to present unusual viewpoints on desolate and deserted places. She experiments with erasing the history and symbolic meaning of her sites, to render them as dream-like and timeless images. With extraordinary sensitivity, she coaxes the inner life from her subject material, using photographic technique and the natural illumination of each locale. This exhibition features some photographs that Friederike von Rauch took in Iceland during her stay at Bær, the artists’ residency in Skagafjörður. Rauch’s vision of the Icelandic countryside and environment is unique, and a noteworthy addition to the current discussion on Iceland’s environmental issues. This exhibition enjoys the sponsorship of the Goethe Institute and is a part of the Reykjavik Art Festival 2010.

Friederike von Rauch holds a degree in industrial design and is a silversmith. Her interest for the medium of photography started as she worked as a locationscout for the film industry. Her works have been presented in private and group exhibitions, most recently in Martin- Gropius-Bau in Berlin. Von Rauch’s photographs have been presented in catalogues and books, amongst them the award winning publication about Neues Museum in Berlin and the architect David Chipperfield.

Thursday 27th of May at 8 pm - Artist's Talk
Saturday 29th of May at 2 pm - Sites Workshop for children

May 20th  - June 20th 2010 - It's hard to be an Artist in a Rockstar body works by Erling T.V. Klingenberg
The exhibition It's hard to be an Artist in a Rock star body - works by Erling T.V. Klingenberg is based on the artist's life performance at Hafnarborg with the participation of many musicians and artists which will take place at Hafnarborg 20th of May at 8 pm. Erling T.V. Klingenberg was born in Reykjavík 1970 // Studied at: Nova Scotia College of Art & Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia / Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Frankfurt am Main / Fachhochschule Kiel / Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts, Reykjavík // Selected solo exhibitions: 2005 I Exhibit Nothing but in a New Context, Kling & Bang Gallery, Reykjavík / 2008 The Klingenberg Case, Truck Gallery, Calgary / 2008 Artists on the Verge of Something II, Kling & Bang Gallery, Reykjavík / 2010 It’s Hard to Be an Artist in a Rockstar Body, Hafnarborg, Centre of Culture and Fine Art, Hafnarfjörður // Selected group exhibitions: 2008 The Idea of North, Dalhousie Art Gallery, Halifax, Nova Scotia / 2008 Dom Sztuki, Jurewicz-Arnardottir Art Foundation, Nikisialka / 2008 Frieze Projects, London.

Thursday 3rd of June at 9 pm - Artist's Talk
Sunday 20th of June at 3 pm - Artist's Talk and last day of exhibition

Hafnarborg is open everyday 12 - 5 pm except Tuesday and Thursdays 12 - 9 pm. Free entrance.

Two new exhibitions will be opened next Saturday 16th of January at 3 pm:
The End - works by Ragnar Kjartansson The Iceland contribution to the Venice Biennale
Prism - works by Ingunn Fjóla Ingþórsdóttir

The End - Ragnar Kjartansson
The Icelandic contribution to the 53rd International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia was Ragnar Kjartansson's work The End which will be exhibited at Hafnarborg in January -February 2010.  Ragnar Kjartansson, a self-described incurable romantic, whose multifaceted artistic practice is rooted in a tradition of acting and performance with an existential and absurdist sensibility that can be linked to artists ranging from Caspar David Friedrich to Gilbert and George. Kjartansson’s exhibition for Venice, The End, featured a tableau vivant of the artist and his model that lasted for the entire six-months of the Biennale, along with a monumental video and music installation. It was presented in the Palazzo Michiel dal Brusa’, a 14th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal near the Rialto, which has served as the Icelandic Pavilion since 2007. The Pavilion was transferred into a makeshift studio for the Biennale, Kjartansson relentlessly painted the portrait of a young man posing day after day against the backdrop of the Grand Canal. The young man modeling for him smoked cigarettes and drank beer, while clothed only in a bathing suit.

Prism - Ingunn Fjóla Ingþórsdóttir
Ingunn Fjóla Ingþórsdóttir (b. 1976) uses a simple, but effective way of shifting the viewers’ perception from the visual to the physical. By inviting the viewers to move around while observing they not only perceive with their eyes and thoughts, but with their whole body. Ingunn plays with the idea of the two-dimensional surface painting of modernism by creating an abstract world that people are able to enter.

Ingunn Fjola Ingþórsdóttir was born 1976 in Sweden but lives and works in Hafnarfjordur. She graduated in 2007 wtih BA, Visual Arts from the Iceland Academy of the Arts and in 2002 in BA Art History from Aarhus University.

Here solo exhibition "Painting Site" in Cuxhaven followed the grant in 2008. She has also participated in many group exhibitions such as "Flutter" in Start Art, Iceland, "Í grænni lautu", The Icelandic Printmakers Association", Iceland, "Aurora Borealis, Magnetism and Light", Spedition Bremen, Germany, "Hafnfirskir Myndlistarmenn 2008", Hafnarborg, Iceland and
"Íslensk menning er sérstakur hljómur", Kubburinn, Iceland.

She was awarded the Artist Encouragement Grant from Hafnarfjördur Council,
from Muggur and CIA Center of Icelandic Art all in 2008.

December - The Museum shop
Hafnarborg sells good quality greetings and post cards of pictures from the museum's collection and by other exhibiting artists. Posters with art works on are also available as well as books and catalogues as well as other applicable products made specifically for current exhibitions. Many books are on special Christmas offer.


The Globe of Goodwill 2009
The Globe of Goodwill is a beautiful work of art and a delightful collector’s piece, but its contents give it its true value – love and friendship. This year it is designed by the artist Hreinn Friðfinnsson and is called Touch. The globe is only on sale for the period of 5th to 19th of December and costs 4.500 kr and all proceeds will be donated to work for the benefit of children and other young people with disabilities. The name of The Globe is therefore symbolic of that which it represents.

Two exhibitions open Saturday 7th of November at 3 pm
The Selection - Icelandic Photographs 1866-2009
Where is the clock?  works by Davíð Örn Halldórsson


The exhibition Selection - Icelandic Photographs 1866-2009 is curated by the photographer Einar Falur Ingólfsson and was first displayed at the Akureyri Art Museum in August. The exhibition shows photos by 13 Icelandic photographers that dedicated their careers to photography. Those photographers are Sigfús Eymundsson, Nicoline Waywadt, Magnús Ólafsson, Pétur Brynjólfsson, Sigríður Zoëga, Jón Kaldal, Ólafur Magnússon, Vigfús Sigurgeirsson, Ólafur K. Magnússon, Guðmundur Ingólfsson, Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson, Ragnar Axelsson and Páll Stefánsson.

Where is the clock? - Davíð Örn Halldórsson
Davíð Örn Halldórsson (born 1976) graduated from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2002 specialising in printmaking.
He is known for his vibrant colours and unusual media in his work, but he paints on wooden boards with oil, spray-paint, and industrial enamel. The exhibition will include paintings and installation. He has painted many big mural pieces such as in the exhibition Rhyme, a combined exhibiton currently on at the Asmundur Sveinson museum - a part of the Reykjavík Art Museum. In 2008 he had a solo exhibition at Gallery Ágúst in Reykjavík and in 2007 he exhibited in New York and Reykjavik and took part in the HangArt-7 exhibition in Salzburg Austria. Davíð was awarded the most generous grant from the Dungal Art Fund in 2008.

28th of August - 1st of November - In Deep Water
The sea and the self-consciousness of a nation in Icelandic contemporary art.
This exhibition displays works by artists that have used the sea as an inspiration both as a natural phenomenon and way of life; the sea both takes and gives life. The works show the importance of the sea and how much impact it has had both physically and mentally on the nation. It is also a reflection on how our basic livelyhood began and still continues to be embeded in our language, thoughts, society and politics.

In Deep Water or lífróður (direct translation rowing for life) the title refers to a saying in Iceland and since the collapse of the banks this saying has been used frequently to describe the daily battles of companies, families and the society as a whole. The exhibition shows works by leading Icelandic contemporary artists.
The exhibition curators are Markús Þór Andrésson and Dorothée Kirch who also curated the Icelandic contribution to the Venice Biennale 2009, The End and the ''Stray Beacons", an art exhibition in four lighthouses around Iceland for the Reykjavik Art Festival in May 2009.

Art works by the following artists will be displayed:
Ásdís Sif Gunnarsdóttir, Ásmundur Ásmundsson, Birgir Andrésson, Elías Hjörleifsson og Ólafur Elíasson, Erla S. Haraldsdóttir, Finnur Arnar Arnarson, Gjörningaklúbburinn, Guðjón Ketilsson,Gylfi Ægisson, Helgi Þorgils Friðjónsson, Hrafnkell Sigurðsson, Hreinn Friðfinnsson,
Hulda Hákon, Hlynur Hallsson, Ívar Valgarðsson, Kristinn E. Hrafnsson, Kristján Guðmundsson, Margrét H. Blöndal, Magnús Sigurðarson, Libia Castro & Ólafur Ólafsson, Ólafur Sveinn Gíslason, Ósk Vilhjálmsdóttir, Ragnar Kjartansson, Ragna Róbertsdóttir, Sigtryggur Bjarni Baldvinsson, Unnar Örn Auðarson

The exhibition is in collaboration with the National Film Archive of Iceland, Icelandic Centre for Ethnology and Folklore and is supported by the Harbour of Hafnarfjordur which celebrates its centenary this year.

28th of May to 7th of June – Bright Days festival in Hafnarfjordur
Hafnarborg actively participates in the Bright Days Festival in Hafnarfjordur.Various events will be held at Hafnarborg such as the artists’ talks mentioned already, concerts and treasure hunt.http://www.hafnarfjordur.is

30th of May - Treasure hunt for the whole family at Víðistaðatún
The museum education will extend itself to the sculpture park in Hafnarfjördur, Víðistaðatún, where one can find sculptures by international and national artists. The treasure hunts starts at 2 pm and is designed so that the whole family can participate.
Free admission.

31st of May at 3 pm Afternoon jazz at the café in Hafnarborg
The afternoon jazz concert series continues in collaboration with the museum’s café Maður lifandi. This time it is the singer and songwriter Andrea Gylfadóttir who will perform with Björn Thoroddsen on guitar, Jón Rafnsson on double bass and Guðmundur Steingrímsson aka Papa Jazz on percussion. They will play some well known jazz music as well as Icelandic one. Free admission.

Hafnarborg Newsletter April 2009
Thursday 2nd of April at 12 pm - Lunch Time Concert
Þóra Einarsdóttir soprano will sing some passionate arias by Mozart with Antonia Hevesi on piano but she is the pianist of the Icelandic Opera. Þóra did her vocal studies both in Iceland and England. She now performs at the Icelandic Opera in the opera ‘Primadonnas’. Free entrance.

4th of April – 10th of May - Weather Writing: Guðrún Kristjánsdóttir
Guðrún Kristjánsdóttir (b.1950) is known for her impressive works that interpret Icelandic nature in a very pioneering way. This exhibition displays her photos, video installations and paintings. The exhibition curator is Birta Guðjónsdóttir.

19th of April at 3 pm - Artist Talk
The artist Guðrún Kristjánsdóttir will have an informal discussion about her exhibition. Free entrance.
3rd of May at 3 pm - Weather discussion
Guðrún Kristjánsdóttir artist is, in her work, making an approach to movement and light in Icelandic landscape. She has been doing a research on patterns of weathering, of snow, made of quick shifts of weather and patterns. She will discuss the weather changes along with the philosopher Oddný Eir Ævarsdóttir. Free admission.



26th of April at 2 pm - Exhibition talk for families
Exhibition talk for children and parents around the current exhibition Weather Writing. Everyone are welcome and no entrance fee.

26th of April at 3 pm Jazz - Sigurður Flosason and band
The afternoon jazz concert series continues in collaboration with the museum’s café Maður lifandi. This time it is the well knowned  saxaphone player Sigurður Flosason and his band who will perform well known jazz music as well as Icelandic one. Free admission.

Hafnarborg Newsletter March 2009:
Current exhibition
21st of February – 29th of March ESSENCE works by Helgi Gíslason
Helgi Gíslason is one of the most known living sculptors in Iceland and one can find his sculptures all over the country. This exhibition displays his drawings, reliefs and other sculptures. The theme of the exhibition is an examination of the drawing and its purpose in making art. Part of the exhibition space has been turned into a studio for guests to use their drawing skills.
1st of March at 2-4 pm workshop for children and parents – free admission
15th of March at 3 pm Artist Talk
The artist Helgi Gíslason will have an informal discussion about his exhibition. Free entrance.

5th of March at 12 pm Lunch Time Concert with Diddú
Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir born 1955, better known as Diddú, is an Icelandic soprano and songwriter. She studied at the Reykjavík College of Music, and afterwards at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
Diddú is a well-known opera singer but started in pop music.
The lunch time concerts have been held since 2003 and have been organised by Antonia Hevesi but she is the pianist of the Icelandic Opera. Free entrance.

6th of March at 8.30 pm  Stebbi & Eyfi
Stefán Hilmarsson and Eyjólfur Kristjánsson better known as Stebbi & Eyfi held a very successful gig at Hafnarborg and now they will return on Friday 6th of March. One hardly has to introduce them to Icelandic audiences since they are extremely productive song writers and lyricists. Tickets are sold at Hafnarborg at 2.900 kr. The CD „Nokkrar notalegar ábreiður'' released in 2006 is included in the price.

29th of March at 8 pm Tríó Reykjavík
Trio Reykjavík are Guðný Guðmundsdóttir violin player, Gunnar Kvaran cellist and Peter Maté pianist. The guest players tonight are Helga Þórarinsdóttir viola player and Richard Korn double bass player. On the program is a debut of Karólína Eiríksdóttir as well as works by Rossini and the Trout Quintet by Schubert. Tickets are sold at Hafnarborg 2000 kr.

Sunday 15th of February last day of the exhibitions Icelandic Artists photos by Jónatan Grétarsson and Episodes works by Björg Þorsteinsdóttir
The following Sunday will be the last day of the exhibitions Icelandic Artists and Episodes. The exhibition Icelandic Artists displays 40 portrait photos by a young photographer Jónatan Grétarsson. Icelandic artists is an ambitious and long term project where Jónatan is documenting contemporary Icelandic artists. Jónatan uses the contrast between black and white to depict these artists in an impressive photo.
The exhibition Episodes works by Björg Þorsteinsdóttir displays both paintings and drawings, where the artist combines materials and techniques using methods such as shibori technique on Japanese paper as well as drawings on paper sculptures and reliefs.
The exhibitions have had good reviews and have had good attentened.

Hafnarborg is open everyday except Tuesday from 11-17, Thursday 11-21. NO ADMISSION. Tel. 5855790. For further information look at our website www.hafnarborg.is

Remember that our café is run by Maður lifandi! www.madurlifandi.is

Hafnarborg Newsletter February 2009:

5th of February at 12 pm Lunch Time Concert Dark Side of the Baritone
Alex Ashworth was a Choral Scholar at St John‘s College, Cambridge, before winning a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Mark Wildman, Clara Taylor and Julius Drake. Since leaving the Academy, he has worked with some of Britain‘s main houses, including Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Scottish Opera and Welsh National Opera. He has also made his debut for Lille Opera and The Icelandic Opera.
The lunch time concerts have been held since 2003 and have been organised by Antonia Hevesi but she is the pianist of the Icelandic Opera. Free entrance.

7. – 13th of February Dark Music Days at Hafnarborg
Dark Music Days are held yearly and organised by The Icelandic Composers Union. The concerts are held in several places and five of them are held at Hafnarborg. The program consists of very diverse music and includes very talented musicians both Icelandic and foreign, such as Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir, Frank Arnink, Rannveig Fríða Bragadóttir, Julia Tinhof, Charles Ross’ band and Sigurður Flosason and band. To see more detailed program visit our website www.hafnarborg.is or www.listir.is/myrkir/English ticket prices are 1500 kr except the lunch time concert on the 10th is 1000 kr.

8th of February at 3 pm Art Talk
The artist Björg Þorsteinsdóttir will have an informal discussion about her exhibition Episodes. On display are new paintings and drawings, where the artist combines materials and techniques using methods such as shibori technique on Japanese paper as well as drawings on paper sculptures and reliefs.
Free entrance.

21st of February – 29th of March EXISTENCE works by Helgi Gíslason
Existence – an objective reality is the superscription of Helgi Gíslason’s exhibition. He is one of the most known living sculptors in Iceland and one can find his sculptures all over the country. This exhibition displays his drawings, reliefs and other sculptures. The theme of the exhibition is the examination of the drawing and its purpose in making art. The works reflect drawing in a very wide sense.
Further information on our website www.hafnarborg.is
Hafnarborg is open from 11-5 pm every day except Tuesday. Thursday from 11-9 pm. Tel. 5855790. Free admission. Our café is run by Maður lifandi which is renowned for their healthy dishes and cakes.

The exhibitions Icelandic Artists - photos by Jónatan Grétarsson and Episodes works by Björg Þorsteinsdóttir were opened at Hafnarborg, Hafnarfjordur Centre of Culture and Fine Art Saturday 10th of January at 3pm. The exhibitions run to 15th of February 2009.

Jónatan Grétarsson is a young photographer who has this last year taken photos of Icelandic artists. The exhibition consists of 40 portraits of well known contemporary artists from all aspects of the arts. They depict an interesting view on lots of artists who have an effect on their contemporaries. Jónatan is documenting contemporary Icelandic artists.
Jónatan Grétarsson finished his photographers rights ‘Sveinspróf’ from the Reykjavik Technical College in 2002 then he moved to America to study at the International Center of Photography in New York. He has participated in many combined exhibitions with the Journalistic Photographic Society in Iceland and he has worked as a photographer for many magazines besides managing his own studio.

In the gallery on the ground floor are new works by the artist Björg Þorsteinsdóttir. Björg is both a printmaker and a painter. On display are paintings and drawings, where the artist combines materials and techniques using methods such as shibori technique on japanese paper as well as drawings on paper sculptures and reliefs.

She graduated from 'Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík' in 1960 and as an art teacher from the Icelandic College of Art in 1964. She also studied printmaking at the same college and attended classes in drawing and painting for three years at the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts, as well as studying at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart. In 1971-1973 she studied etching at the "Atelier 17" with S.W. Hayter and lithography at the École Nationale Supèrieure des Beaux Arts in Paris with a scholarship from the French government.
In the beginning of her career she devoted her time to printmaking but for the last twenty years she has concentrated mainly on painting with oils and watercolour. Björg had held numerous exhibitions both in Iceland and abroad.

Brothers Ómar and Óskar Guðjónson will entertain guest playing jazz during the opening.

Hafnarborg is open everyday 11-17 except Tuesday, Thursday 11-21. Free entrance, tel. 5855790.