Nominations to the Icelandic Art Prize 2025

JÓNSI

Jón Þór Birgisson, Jónsi (b. 1975), is nominated for the exhibition Flood, installed across three galleries at the Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús. Jónsi is primarily known for his achievements within the music industry, but for the past two decades, he has engaged in diverse artistic projects and has actively participated in exhibitions across various media. The exhibition Flood marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in Europe, though he has previously held several large solo shows in the United States.

For the exhibition Flood, Jónsi created three installations, each transforming the exhibition space into a multi-layered experience for the senses. Through the use of mist, light, sound and scent, the viewer is immersed in worlds that refer to the processes of nature, such as tides, erosion and breathing. The soundscapes, which draw on natural sounds, the human voice and digital renderings, escalate and overpower the visitor while movements of light and imagery underline the organic rhythms.

The three installations vary visually and emotionally in terms of material qualities and installation methods. The works are unified by their conceptual depth and the artist’s sensitivity to profound spatial experiences. The viewer’s position in the space and their physical dialogue with the works are essential aspects to the realisation and the complete installation of the exhibition.

The jury finds that Jónsi possesses a keen ability to create experiences that provoke viewers to reflect on the human role within the natural cycle. The exhibition Flood captures nature’s visual and emotional power and shows how visual art can convey a deeper understanding of the forces that control our lives.

UNA BJÖRG MAGNÚSDÓTTIR

Una Björg Magnúsdóttir (b. 1990) is nominated for the exhibition A Yellower Yellow in Ásmundarsalur. In the exhibition, she establishes that she is an artist with a very personal vision who has developed a diverse and curious visual language. The exhibition Lost Manuals at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin further confirms this. She graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2014 and an MA in Fine Arts from ÉGAL in Switzerland in 2018. In recent years, Una Björg has organised various exhibitions, both in Iceland and across Europe.

The exhibition in Ásmundarsalur consisted of three works. On the floor, one could see Fimm pappírsarkir (Five Sheets of Paper), a carpet replicating the floor of the exhibition space. Above the carpet, arranged in a straight line, was the work Pollar 1–10 (Puddles 1–10), plastic bags containing sheets of paper and wooden poles. Hanging on the walls was Afrit 1 – 6 (Facsimile 1–6), colourful frames with what seemed to be the same still life of a flower arrangement. Or was it? Combined, these units created a powerful overall experience and a particular staging.

The history of art is replete with optical illusions, with the attempt to depict three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface being a prime example. The artist is fond of optical illusions and is preoccupied with demonstrating the relativity of objects. The experience of colour depends on context and the material itself carries not only physical properties but also various historical and poetic references. Una Björg’s exhibition equally referred to personal memories, general elements and quotes from art history. The presentation was interesting in terms of form and colour.

The jury finds that with the exhibition A Yellower Yellow, Una Björg Magnúsdóttir succeeds in opening up a fresh perspective on our daily existence with a well-realised exhibition. The result was a captivating world that was both everyday and paradoxical, offering the viewer a poetic exploration of their inner world.

PÉTUR THOMSEN

Pétur Thomsen (b. 1973) is nominated for the exhibition Settlement in Hafnarborg, the Hafnarfjörður Centre of Culture and Fine Art. The relationship between humans and nature has been a central theme in Pétur’s photographic works, demonstrating evidence of humans’ encroachment on their environment. Pétur completed an MFA in photography at the École nationale supérieure de la photographie in Arles, France, in 2004. He has received various awards for his work and has been a prominent participant in exhibitions and other projects in Iceland and abroad.

The exhibition Settlement is based on a long-term photographic project in which Pétur examines the coexistence of humanity and nature through the lens of imbalance and trauma to the earth caused by human interaction and development. In the works, the artist highlights discernable disruptions in nature, such as scars or erosion in the soil, along with traces of human neglect or indifference. In Hafnarborg’s main gallery, framed photographs, presented without glass, resembled paintings on canvas. Large in scale, some were singular while others were composed of multiple photographs, creating a cohesive whole.

The presentation invites the viewer to reflect, with the artist, on the message he wishes to convey: a stark reminder of humanity's impact on the environment, which has led to global warming and natural disasters. The exhibition acts as an appeal to the visitors, compelling viewers to consider their own impact and connection to the living world.

The jury considers Settlement an exceptionally well executed exhibition, from the production to the presentation of the works, which includes a profound awareness of and concern for nature. With a deep knowledge of the photographic medium, Pétur Thomsen captures in his works an essence and vision that, through the exhibition, transform into a compelling dialogue with the viewer.

ÞÓRA SIGURÐARDÓTTIR

Þóra Sigurðardóttir (b.1954) is nominated for the exhibition Iron, Flax, Coal and Chalk at the National Gallery of Iceland. Observing immediate surroundings while reinterpreting everyday objects and the dynamic material world are guiding themes in her art. Þóra has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Iceland and abroad. She graduated from the Faculty of Education at the Icelandic Academy of Arts and Crafts in 1979 and from the School of Graphic Arts in 1981. In 1991, she completed her postgraduate studies in Denmark, focusing on space, sculpture and painting. In conjunction with her exhibition at the National Gallery of Iceland, a remarkable book about Þóra’s work was published.

The exhibition, which revolves around the properties of materials, space and drawing, featured a personal collection of found and human-made objects presented in iron sculptures in the centre of the space. The sculptures’ shelves and display cases contained dried remains of cooking and organic matter: eiderdown, bone and plant material, as well as stone, copper, porcelain and iron. These works illustrate the artist’s observations about the texture and hues of transformable materials and their interaction with space and society.

The exhibition also featured a series of impressive paintings done in charcoal, graphite, ink, pencil and chalk on glue-based linen. The works refer to the repetition of the outline of structure and space with vertical and horizontal lines in a multi-layered imagery characteristic of Þóra’s practice. Additionally, copper and enamel pieces displayed precise nuances in lines and colour tones. A single-channel video work entitled Himnur (Membranes) was displayed on a large screen. The footage depicted a sheep’s intestines spinning in a kitchen sink full of water. Here, the artist likens food processing to sculpture, where new organic forms are created from other such forms.

The jury finds that Iron, Flax, Coal and Chalk effectively reflects the artist’s observations of everyday materials and demonstrates great sensitivity to the interaction between space and drawing. The exhibition convincingly interprets various perspectives on everyday life and society.

Motivational Awards

Three artists are nominated

HELENA MARGRÉT JÓNSDÓTTIR

Helena Margrét Jónsdóttir (b.1996) is nominated for the Motivational Award of the Icelandic Art Prize 2025. Jónsdóttir has distinguished herself among young artists with paintings of everyday objects that she places in an unconventional context. Helena Margrét graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2019 after studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague, the Netherlands, and the Reykjavík School of Fine Arts.

Since graduating, Helena Margrét has actively participated in the art scene in Iceland and abroad. In her solo exhibition, titled Just Like Real in D-Gallery, at the Reykjavík Art Museum in 2023, the artist captured replicas of real objects on canvas. In 2022, Helena Margrét’s solo exhibition You Can’t Get Stuck in Your Own Web in Ásmundarsalur, captured the viewer’s attention by portraying spiders of various sizes in different situations. Additionally, she has attracted deserved attention abroad, including in Milan, London and Beijing.

In her works, Helena Margrét employs the properties of painting to vividly imitate the everyday and imagined reality. Her subjects often include phenomena she finds in her surroundings or the digital world, juxtaposing them in an unconventional and frequently distorted way. Minor dents on a can or a spider in a lollipop capture the moment and slow down time and space. Her visual language refers to digital aesthetics where a shoe, a chip or a glass of white wine is depicted on a monochrome, dimensionless background without shadows or shades. Her work evokes the impression of what is considered appetising and pure whilst being simultaneously uncomfortable and strange.

The jury finds that Helena Margrét Jónsdóttir’s paintings are intriguing and set an interesting tone in the art scene. Her works are refined and serene, with an innovative undertone that activates the imagination and transports the viewer into a dreamlike world. Through her practice, Helena Margrét convincingly removes the veil from the traditional manifestation of everyday objects in painting.

SÓLEY RAGNARSDÓTTIR

Sóley Ragnarsdóttir (b. 1991) is nominated for the Motivational Award of the Icelandic Art Prize, having attracted attention for the exhibition The Queen of Hearts held at Gerðarsafn Art Museum which she dedicated to her grandmother. Born in Iceland, Sóley has lived near the seaside in Sønderborg, Jutland, for most of her life. In 2019, she graduated with a master’s degree from the Staedelschule in Frankfurt. While The Queen of Hearts marks her first solo exhibition in Iceland, she has previously held solo shows and participated in group exhibitions in Denmark and Germany.

In the exhibition, Sóley transformed the space into a vibrant installation by painting a kind of patterned wallpaper that complemented large circular paintings hanging on the walls. The unconventional paintings featured almost three-dimensional, colourful surfaces mostly made of patterned napkins and various small objects such as broken glass and plastic with shells on them. By using napkins that she, her mother and her grandmother had collected, she reached into a world of experience shared by many Icelandic women. 

The show also featured sculptures partly made of natural objects, as well as fragments of man-made, mass-produced perishable objects, both of which Sóley collected on walks along the coast. The exhibition thus brings to mind the pollution of our consumer society whilst underscoring the beauty in nature that we can appreciate if we take a moment to breathe.

The jury considers Sóley Ragnarsdóttir to have introduced a fresh note with her colourful installation of ornately patterned works, most of which were made from napkin collections that speak to many women’s memories and experiences. Additionally, this fresh note was furthered by the sculptures created from shells and fragments of various perishable mass-produced small items from the beach. She has established a unique position for herself through her particular use of materials, colour and feminine approach. Her multi-layered, decorative feminist works are a refreshing counterpoint to much of what has been on view in exhibition spaces in recent years.

VIKRAM PRADHAN

Vikram Pradhan (b. 1997) is nominated for the Motivational Award for his notable contribution to art. He studied at Srishti University in Bangalore, India, and then completed his master’s degree at the Department of Design at the Iceland University of the Arts in 2021. Pradhan is an active participant in exhibitions in Iceland and has exhibited his work at the V&A Museum in London and in India.

Among recent exhibitions in Iceland are the collaborative work Ljósbrot, shown at the Hamraborg Festival 2024, and the video work Spectral Relic 2°, which was part of the group exhibition A Seed Grown from Stone at SÍM Gallery in 2024.

Pradhan’s work presents the fusion of the material and the immaterial. He works equally with visual art across time-based media, photography, video, and research projects, exploring the boundaries of perception and the interpretation of reality. His work strives to communicate unseen dimensions of existence, where the material world and the spiritual are called upon. For example, he has explored concepts of perception and different interpretations of reality in works based on pataphysics – or imaginary science – where traditional scientific rules and laws are subverted. His work is characterised by quiet and sensitive observation of the subject, as he approaches the material from the standpoint of a viewer, processing it and communicating the results with subtlety.

The jury considers Vikram Pradhan's work significant as it merges the principles of science with the intangible. He weaves human elements into his artwork, raising compelling questions about individual perception and human existence. His work is characterised by an experimental approach to film and photography, blending personal perspectives with a strong artistic vision.