Nominations for the Icelandic Art Prize 2019

Eygló Harðardóttir (b. 1964) is nominated for the Art Award 2019 for her exhibition Another Space in The Living Art Museum.

"With work which simultaneously was dainty and coarse, made from delicate materials, the artist opened up doorways for the viewer to enter and increase their perception and sensitivity instead of the usual rationalism."

Hekla Dögg Jónsdóttir (b. 1969) is nominated for the Icelandic Art Price for her exhibition Evolvement in Kling & Bang.

“The quiet but purposeful progression indicated by the title gradually became clear when walking around the compartmentalised exhibition space. One guiding principle of many was collaboration. In this respect, the artist partly gave up control of the outcome of the creative process, making room for new and unexpected things to appear in the interaction between herself and her guests.”

Guðmundur Thoroddsen (b. 1980) is nominated for the Icelandic Art Prize for his exhibition Snip Snap Snubbur in Hafnarborg.

"His artwork, mainly paintings, water colours and ceramics, have until now been full of irony and black humour, at the expense of the patriarchy. Here, modern men appear in a continual existential crisis, preoccupied with themselves and all manners of worthless activities, but unable to deal with real-life situations."

Steinunn Gunnlaugsdóttir (b.1983) is nominated for the Icelandic Art Prize for “The Little MareSausage”, a sculpture in The Pond in Reykjavik and the artist’s contribution to Cycle music and Art - Inclusive Nation.

“The Little MareSausage was the artist’s very decisive step into public space, in a context which gave the viewer cause to interpret the work as a criticism of the longstanding cultural effect of Denmark in Iceland, as the work is an obvious reference to one of the best-known landmarks in Copenhagen. The artwork’s form also raised other associations, many interpreting it as sarcasm and a criticism of the patriarchy.”

Nominations for the Motivational Award 2019

Three up and coming artists are nominated for the Motivational award.

Auður Ómarsdóttir (b. 1988) is nominated for the Motivational Award of the Year for her exhibition In off the Post in Kling & Bang.

„…she covers a broad spectrum of personal experience and references to art history and popular culture. The artist’s levity and joy of experimenting can clearly be seen in the creative flow and imagination behind the works the wistful undertone which was for example visible in her work Goodbye/Cry Me a River is nowhere in sight.”

Fritz Hendrik (b. 1993) is nominated for the Motivational Award of the Year for his exhibition Routine Dream in Kling & Bang.

“Fritz is a skilled painter and in this exhibition, as in others, it is obvious that he has a special talent to communicate content and purpose with any material he chooses to work with. Routine Dream is based on the ideas of The Scholar, a fictitious person who has appeared in Fritz’s work before, of the importance of regular sleep routine.”

Leifur Ýmir Eyjólfsson (b. 1987) is nominated for the Motivational Award of the Year for his exhibition Manuscript in D-Hall in Reykjavik Art Museum.

“Leifur has devoted time and attention to techniques and methods of printmaking, engraving, stamps and ceramics. Here he returns to an idea born during his study years. He had already acquired a great interest in artists' books and the idea was to create pages from fired clay, each of which would be an independent book work.”