The Art Council of Hafnarborg has selected Total Babes as the 2025 installation in the museum’s Autumn Exhibition Series, out of proposals submitted by curators earlier this year through an annual open call. The curators of the selected proposal are Jasa Baka and Petra Hjartardóttir, who will present an exhibition that invites viewers to explore themes of softness, power, and feminine energy in contemporary art.
At its heart, Total Babes examines the multifaceted nature of cuteness, the divine feminine, and the animistic belief that (mother) nature is a living, dynamic entity. These concepts are viewed through the lens of how they manifest in people, places and things, particularly at a time when feminine archetypes are reemerging and reshaping our understanding of identity and balance.
Featuring works across a range of mediums, the exhibition will highlight diverse interpretations of archetypes, mythological figures, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Through these varied perspectives, Total Babes offers an engaging and thought-provoking exploration of vulnerability and strength by opening a portal to bring the ethereal down to earth.
Jasa Baka is a multidisciplinary artist, Canadian Vestur-Íslendingur who has lived and worked in Iceland since 2017. She graduated with a Masters of Fine Arts from the Iceland University of the Arts in 2022. In Tiohtiá:ke (or Montréal), Canada, she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Concordia University in 2008, with a specialization in Design for Theatre. She has shown work and performed in various places in Iceland, across Canada, New York and Athens, Greece.
Petra Hjartardóttir is a sculpture and installation artist working with a range of mediums including ceramics, textiles and silver. She has exhibited her work in museums and galleries in Iceland and abroad. She has participated in artist residencies in Italy, Norway and France. She graduated with an MFA in sculpture from Yale School of Art and a BFA in studio art from Hunter College, New York.
This will be the fifteenth exhibition in Hafnarborg’s Autumn Exhibition Series, where the objective is to collaborate with different curators, who get the chance to submit their own proposals, allowing new voices be heard. The Director and Art Council of Hafnarborg then review the submissions and select the winning proposal each year. The participating artists will be announced at a later date.