Images of Mary – Help Us Recreate an Artwork

Is your name María? Do you live in Hafnarfjörður? Would you like to take part in an artwork?

At this time, Hafnarborg is working on a retrospective of works by artist Þorvaldur Þorsteinsson (1960-2013), called Long Are the Trials of Man. At this exhibition, one of the artist‘s works, Images of Mary will be recreated, but Þorvaldur first exhibited said work at a show in the Akureyri Art Museum in 1996. The upcoming exhibition at Hafnarborg is set to open on Þorvaldur‘s birthday, November 7th.

Images of Mary is an artwork which calls for participation, as the artist made a request for pictures on loan from anyone named María, living in Akureyri. The pictures he subsequently exhibited together in one space of the museum, under soft lighting and an air of holiness. In this way, he made a reference to sacred images of Mary, with an equal mix of the holy and the homely.

Hafnarborg now makes a similar request, asking all those named María (or Mary etc.), living in Hafnarfjörður, to lend the museum pictures of themselves to exhibit at this upcoming retrospective. The picture can be a passport photo or a larger photograph, a phone selfie or a picture from the family photo album, drawing or a painting, if available, a portrait or a wide shot, according to preference. The size or age of the image is also not important, with variety being seen as optimal.

The picture can either be delivered to the front desk of the museum, during opening hours, or sent via email to [email protected], including information about the full name and phone number of the lender. Pictures can be turned in until October 10th. After the exhibition has come to an end, participants will be able to get their pictures back at the front desk of the museum.

If you are interested but have some questions, please contact us via telephone at 585 5790.