At the Annual Meeting of National Museums and the Museum Council of Iceland, held on February 14th, the allocation of the Museum Fund for 2025 was announced. This year, Hafnarborg received grants for four projects.

As part of this allocation, the fund will support the development of a children’s activity space on the upper floor of the museum and preparatory work for the implementation of a new Sarpur collection database, as well as an exhibition exchange between Hafnarborg and Uppsala Art Museum, as part of an ongoing partnership between twin towns Hafnarfjörður and Uppsala. Additionally, the fund will continue to support the museum’s event series In My Language, which offers art workshops and guided tours in foreign languages led by professional artists. This initiative was launched in 2023 with funding from the Museum Fund.

The grants were presented by Logi Einarsson, Minister of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education, during a formal ceremony at the National Museum of Iceland.

The staff of Hafnarborg extends heartfelt gratitude for the support, which enables the museum to better serve the community and remain a strong platform for art and culture in Hafnarfjörður.

The Hafnarborg team wishes you all, the friends and partners of the museum, happy holidays and a joyful new year, as another remarkable year comes to an end.

We look forward to welcoming you at Hafnarborg in the new year.

Hafnarborg is open as usual, until Christmas, everyday except Tuesdays, 12–5 p.m. The opening hours during the holidays are as follows:

December 23rd, Thorlac‘s Mass – open 12–5 p.m.

December 24th, Christmas Eve – closed

December 25th, Christmas Day – closed

December 26th, Second Day of Christmas – closed

December 27th–30th – open 12–5 p.m.

December 31st, New Year‘s Eve – closed

January 1st, New Year‘s Day – closed

The office of Hafnarborg will be closed during the holidays. Regular opening hours will resume from January 2nd. Entry is free and everyone welcome.

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.

This year’s Globe of Goodwill, Flowers and Love Need Nourishment, by Hildur Hákonardóttir is now available at the museum shop. Each year, the Globe is sold as a limited edition, but in the last few years the Globe has sold out rather quickly, more often than not. All proceeds go to benefit children and young people with disabilities. About this year’s edition, Hildur says:

“The Northen Rock-cress is one of our most common spring flowers. Yet we rarely notice this tiny, white flower which spreads over barren, stony gravel hills, enlivens the land and attracts insects which then help pollinate other flowers that might venture there. In its humbleness, it reminds us that large presents are not needed to make people happy. Smiles and comforting words can bring more joy.

The Northern Rock-cress takes warmth from the sun, water from the skies and minerals from the rocks. Still, it is adorned by highly dissected leaves like the dandelion, the king of the wildflowers, perhaps to remind us that it also has its pride. But love needs nourishment, just like flowers, if it is supposed to thrive. Then, it is often the small things that matter most. The warm touch of a hand, encouraging words of kindness and inspiring helpfulness.”

During her long career, Hildur Hákonardóttir (b. 1938) has addressed contemporary issues, in particular environmental issues and gender politics, using varied media. She studied tapestry at the Icelandic College of Art and Crafts in 1964-68 and Edinburgh College of Art in 1969, and was headmistress of the Icelandic College of Art and Crafts in 1975-78. Hildur has held numerous exhibitions and published diverse books. The retrospective Red Thread at the Reykjavík Art Museum was awarded the Icelandic Art Prize in 2023 and Hildur received The Order of the Falcon in 2024.

The Globe of Goodwill will be sold at the museum shop from December 5th until December 20th, or for as long as it remains in stock. 

Saturday November 9th at 2 p.m., we warmly welcome you to the opening of two solo exhibitions at Hafnarborg. Artists Pétur Thomsen and Arngunnur Ýr will then be presenting their work in the museum. Both exhibitions offer an exciting perspective on nature and the relationship between humans and their environment, with each artist approaching the subject in their own unique way.

Settlement
Pétur Thomsen has been working on this photo series for the past few years, but it has only been exhibited in part until now. The photographer directs the lens at pieces of land that have been disturbed or transformed in one way or another, for example through land use, mining, forestry, agriculture or the construction of roads and infrastructure. The photographs are taken at night and so the photographer uses a big flash to light up the land and define the stage. This imbues the photographs with an ominous tone, a post-apocalyptic feel, as the dark night sky suggests the looming threat.

Pétur Thomsen (b. 1973) completed his MFA degree from the École nationale supérieur de la photographie (ENSP) in Arles, France, in 2004. Prior to that, he studied French, art history and archaeology at The Université Paul Valéry in Montpellier and art photography at École supérieure des métiers artistiques, also in Montpellier. Pétur has been nominated for and received numerous awards and prizes, such as the 10th LVMH Young Artists’ Award, handed out in 2004. He was also selected by the Musée de L’Élysée in Lausanne for the project regeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow.

Kahalii
The exhibition delves into Arngunnur’s personal and artistic journey following her relocation to Hawaii, presenting new and recent paintings that respond to the complex interplay of nature, history, and human settlement. Set in an area where natural beauty is giving way to development, the works are deeply intertwined with the land’s layered history. The exhibition serves as both a personal reflection and a broader commentary on the ongoing transformation of landscape, inviting viewers to consider their own relationship with place and history.

Arngunnur Ýr (b. 1962) graduated with a BFA in painting from the San Fransisco Art Institute in 1986. She later attended studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1989 to 1990, going on to complete her MFA in painting at Mills College, Oakland, California, in 1992. She has received various awards and recognition for her art, for example a grant from The Svavar Guðnason and Ásta Eiríksdóttir Art Award and from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Her works have been exhibited in Iceland, Europe and the United States and can be found in the collection of public museums, various institutions and private collectors, both in Iceland and abroad.

Free entry – see you at Hafnarborg.

September marks the beginning of a new concert season at Hafnarborg, featuring a host of outstanding musicians, as well as promising young performers. On September 3rd, we welcome you to the first Midday Concert of the autumn and the Afternoon Concert series enters its fifth season with a concert by the Rebekka Blöndal Quartet on September 20th. Later this autumn, we also invite you to attend a performance of contemporary music in the concert series Phonemes, dedicated to original compositions of the 20th and 21st century.

Concerts Autumn/Winter 2024

September 3rd at 12 p.m.
Midday Concert
Fanný Lísa Hevesi

September 20th at 6 p.m.
Afternoon Concert
Rebekka Blöndal Quartet

October 1st at 12 p.m.
Midday Concert
Vera Hjördís Matsdóttir

October 18th at 6 p.m.
Afternoon Concert
Margrét Eir and Band

October 20th at 8 p.m.
(postponed until spring)
Phonemes: Blöndun/Fusione
Björg Brjánsdóttir and Ingibjörg Elsa Turchi

November 5th at 12 p.m.
Midday Concert
Kristín Sveinsdóttir

November 22nd at 6 p.m.
Afternoon Concert
Andrés Þór Nordic Trio

December 3rd at 12 p.m.
Midday Concert
Íris Björk Gunnarsdóttir

In the past few years,  individuals and groups aged 18-25 have been invited to submit ideas for creative projects in Hafnarfjörður, being given the opportunity to work on and carry out their ideas and introduce them to residents and visitors during the summer season. This year, three out of the seven participating groups or individuals will present their projects at Hafnarborg, in the form of an exhibition or happening. The Creative Summer Jobs are intended as a platform for young artists from Hafnarfjörður to develop and to promote their art.

July 25th – August 5th:
Rán Sigurjónsdóttir

August 8th at 5:30 pm:
Logi Guðmundsson

August 12th at 5:30 pm:
Íris Ásmundar, Benedikt Gylfason and Hanna Huld Hafþórsdóttir

Please note that the Hafnarborg office will be partly closed from July 8th until August 7th for summer vacations.

In the meantime, we kindly ask you to email us at [email protected].

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Wishing you all a great summer,
The staff of Hafnarborg