Höfuðstöðin opens in Elliðaárdalur

After many months, team effort, a pandemic, a successful
kickstarter campaign and more, the fully female-led self-funded project Höfuðstöðin
by Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir and Lilja Baldurs is open to the public, and we could
not be more excited.

Höfuðstöðin
is an art and culture destination that permanently houses Shoplifter / Hrafnhildur
Arnardóttir’s monumental large scale installation Chromo Sapiens. Shoplifter is one of
Iceland’s leading contemporary artists and the installation was debuted for the
Icelandic Pavilion in 2019 at the Venice Biennale, to worldwide critical acclaim.
The installation enjoys enormous popularity and appeals to a wide range of audience
from art enthusiasts to people of all ages, and will welcome anyone who seeks to
experience Icelandic culture. Shoplifter is the first Icelandic woman to open a
center for her artwork in Iceland and invite the public to experience her work permanently.

The building where Höfuðstöðin is located consists
of historical barrack structures built during the second world war, then relocated
and used as a potato nursery in Reykjavik before being now renovated into an art
and culture centre with the help of architect Iwo Borkowicz. The space features
the installation Chromo Sapiens and a multi purpose space with a cafe, lounge and
gift shop. A beautiful outdoor seating area overlooks Elliðaárdalur valley. The
space will host various events such as workshops, concerts and lectures to name
a few, so keep an eye out for their upcoming events. For now, Höfuðstöðin is an
oasis where you can enjoy culture and a coffee surrounded by nature. It is a place
to meet up in before or after an outing in the labyrinth of paths through the forest
and riverbanks of the valley of Elliðaárdalur.

A goal of the project was to be as
environmentally friendly as possible. Many of the materials are locally sourced,
and the furniture for the main lounge area is created by Plastplan, an Icelandic design and plastic recycling
company which creates beautiful melted and marbled plastic sheets from locally recycled
plastic and turns them into unique designs. This falls in line with Shoplifter’s
signature medium, synthetic hair extensions, which are continuously reused over
and over again in her installations and artwork, turning a material that is often
carelessly disposed of into something of value and permanence.

Shoplifter is one of Iceland’s leading contemporary
artists. She represented Iceland at the Venice Biennale in 2019 with her installation
Chromo Sapiens which received worldwide attention and press. Chromo Sapiens later
travelled to Iceland opening at the Reykjavik Art Museum in January 2020. Shoplifter
has exhibited in notable museums and galleries worldwide including MoMA, Museum
of Modern Art in New York, Kulturhuset Stadsteatern in Stockholm, The SCAD Museum
in Savannah, Kiasma the National Gallery of Finland, the National Gallery of Iceland,
the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Queensland Art Gallery of Modern
Art in Australia, amongst others. She is a recipient of The Nordic Award in Textiles
and The Prince Eugen Medal for artistic achievement from the King and Royal Crown
of Sweden.

Höfuðstöðin is located at Rafstöðvarvegur
1a, just on the outskirts of Reykjavík, and opens weekdays from 10 – 18 and weekends
from 11 – 17. Don’t miss it!