As in previous years, curators are invited to submit proposals for next year’s Autumn Exhibition at Hafnarborg. The Autumn Exhibition Series began in 2011 and since then fourteen exhibitions have been selected for production as part of the series, from numerous submissions by curators of diverse backgrounds and experience. This year’s Autumn Exhibition, Unknown Benevolence, which is curated by Þórhildur Tinna Sigurðardóttir and set to open on August 29th, was selected by the same method, from the proposals submitted last year.

By calling for proposals, the objective is to collaborate with different curators, who submit compelling proposals for an exhibition, as well as creating a platform for emerging curators to present their ideas. For this reason, curators who are new to the field are encouraged to send in their proposals. In years past, the programme has proven its worth, as it has produced diverse and thought-provoking exhibitions, which have been well received all around.

The call is for group exhibitions connecting artists (up to eight persons) or artworks through their subject matter, artistic method and/or other ideas, but exhibitions analysing or focusing on a specific aspect of one artist’s work will also be considered. Proposals for exhibitions of contemporary artists’ works or exhibitions entailing historical analysis are welcome as well. The Director and Art Council of Hafnarborg will review the proposals and select the winning proposal.

Please note that the deadline to submit proposals has been extended until midnight on Sunday September 8th.

Applications are only accepted via email at hafnarborg@hafnarfjordur.is (see below).

Application process

The application process is divided into two parts and we ask applicants to read all details about the two-part process and required materials carefully.

Part 1

For the first part of the application process, we request the following information:

• Description of the project with an emphasis on the idea underlying the exhibition (1000 words maximum).
• CV of the curator(s).
• Short CV of the participating artist(s) (up to eight persons), as well as others that might become part of the exhibition project.

Please provide as detailed a description as possible, while respecting the maximum word count. We will also accept illustrative material that is descriptive for the project, though this is not required. Applicants are encouraged to acquaint themselves with Hafnarborg’s layout and spaces before submitting their proposals. The Art Council of Hafnarborg, alongside the Director, will review all proposals and select those that will move on to the second part of the application process.

Part 2

The curators, whose proposals are selected for further review, will be invited to present their ideas and provide additional materials, such as exhibition catalogues, illustrative material or videos, as well as working on a realistic budget plan for the project. The budget plan for the exhibition, including its preparation, is expected to be in line with the museum’s financial plan, or else requiring special grants to fund the project.

When reviewing the proposals, the following will be taken into special consideration:

• Selection of artists.
• Whether the exhibition introduces an innovative view of the subject matter, for example in relation to its context and/or media.
• Whether the exhibition includes new or older works, or even a mixture of both.
• Whether the exhibition has a special relevance to Hafnarborg, for example to its collection, its surroundings, the town of Hafnarfjörður etc.
• Whether the exhibition makes use of Hafnarborg’s exhibition space in a creative way.
• The curators’ experience and CV.
• Suggestions for events in connection with the exhibition (curatorial talks, artist talks, seminars etc.).
• Ideas for a possible publication.
• That the budget of the project is within reasonable limits (a more precise cost assessment will take place in the latter part of the process).

Sketches of Hafnarborg’s floor plan can be found here. These are intended to be used as a guide, as it is not required that the curators design the exhibition to fit the space in strict terms.

Please send all proposals via email to hafnarborg@hafnarfjordur.is, with the subject “Autumn Exhibition 2025”. In response, we will send a message confirming that we have received the proposal, but we urge you to contact us at (354) 585 5790, if you do not receive said confirmation. Finally, all applicants will be kept informed about the status of their proposals, in due course. All results will be sent via email.

Further information is provided by the office of Hafnarborg at (354) 585 5790.

Every year, The Hafnarborg Songfest offers a master class for advanced singers. This year, the class takes place from June 24th until the 27th, filling the museum with music and song for its duration. The class is held in the Hafnarborg’s main gallery, starting in the morning and ending in the afternoon, so guests of the museum will be able to enjoy the singing practice during their visit of the current exhibitions. At the end of this course, the participants will perform at a special concert on Thursday June 27th at 8 p.m. as a part of The Songfest. This time, the instructor is beloved soprano Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir (Diddú) with the support of pianist Helga Bryndís Magnúsdóttir, who will also accompany the singers at the concert.

For more information about The Hafnarborg Songfest, please visit the offical website at www.songhatid.com.

Please note that currently we are in the process of renovating the outer walls of the museum. Part of the walls will be smoothed down and recoated, before being repainted. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this project.

The museum will remain open as usual during the renovation.

Friday May 31st at 5 p.m., we invite you to the opening reception of the exhibition Cassiopeia by Guðný Guðmundsdóttir, in Hafnarborg‘s lower gallery. The exhibition features new and recent works by the artist, made on paper and in clay, as well as video works. Through the mirror of art, the works invoke ideas of bruised ego, vanity and self-adulation, seeking inspiration from Greek mythology.

The viewer enters a world of references, encountering titles in various languages (German, French and English), inscriptions and named figures or beings from classical myths. Pulling us backwards and forwards in time, the works make us contemplate the relationships hidden within, forming a constellation that perhaps brings up more questions than answers.

Guðný Guðmundsdóttir (b. 1970) graduated from the Icelandic College of Art and Crafts in 1993 and Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg in 2001. She has worked in visual art since, primarily focusing on traditional media, such as drawing, painting, collage, sculpture and photography. Guðný lives and works in Berlin.

This summer, Hafnarborg will offer workshops for children, 6–12 years old, as in previous years. The groups will go on field trips in Hafnarfjörður and basic techniques of art will be introduced by exploring the environment, the museum’s exhibitions, creative work and play. The children will work on projects in different media – drawing, painting and moulding – with the aim of developing visual focus and inspiring creative thought and personal expression.

Two 5-day workshops and one 4-day worshop will be available for ages 6–9 and 10–12. The workshop starting June 24th will then bring in elements of music to the creative process, in connection with The Hafnarborg Songfest. At the end of this workshop, the children will participate in a family concert, as part of the festival’s programme, taking place on Friday June 28th at 5 p.m.

The instructor of the visual arts workshops will be Þóra Breiðfjörð and the instructor of the music workshop will be Björg Ragnheiður Pálsdóttir.

The following summer workshops are available:

June 10th–June 14th
6–9 years old: 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
10–12 years old: 1–4 p.m.

June 18th–June 21st
6–9 years old: 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
10–12 years old: 1–4 p.m.

June 24th–June 28th
6–9 years old: 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
10–12 years old: 1–4 p.m.

The fee is 15,860 ISK for the 5-day workshops and 12,690 ISK for the 4-day workshop. We kindly ask that parents or guardians inform us of any special needs or requirements.

Note that there is limited availability for the summer workshops.

Registration is open via the registration network Vala. For further information, please call (354) 585 5790 or send an email to hafnarborg@hafnarfjordur.is.

Easter is almost upon us and the staff of Hafnarborg therefore wishes the friends and supporters of the museum a very happy holidays. Opening hours during Easter are as follows:

Maundy Thursday March 28th
Open 12 p.m.–5 p.m.

Good Friday March 29th
Closed

Holy Saturday March 30th
Open 12 p.m.–5 p.m.

Easter Sunday March 31st
Closed

Easter Monday April 1st
Open 12 p.m.–5 p.m.

Free entry – everyone welcome.

All of us at Hafnarborg would like to congratulate Andrés Þór Gunnlaugsson for receiving the Icelandic Music Award 2024 as “Performer of the Year” in the field of jazz and blues music.

Andrés Þór is the founder and artistic director of the Afternoon Concert Series at Hafnarborg, dating back to the year 2020, but the concert series has featured many of the brightest stars of the jazz scene in Iceland, often along with Andrés on guitar.

We would then like to congratulate all of those that were nominated for the Icelandic Music Awards, being delighted to see so many familiar names and faces among the nominees.

A big applause for all of our outstanding musicians!

Please note that Hafnarborg will be closed for installation from January 3rd until January 13th. We would then like to invite you to the first opening of the year on Saturday January 13th at 2 p.m. In the museum’s upper gallery, we present the exhibition Tidemark, a retrospective of works by Jónína Guðnadóttir, and, in our lower gallery, Pointers, an exhibition of new works by Þór Sigurþórsson.

If you have business with the museum shop during this time, feel free to call us at 585 5790.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this and hope to see you at the opening.

This year’s Globe of Goodwill, WORLD, by Guðjón Ketilsson 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.

The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights covers this year’s edition of the Globe of Goodwill. The glass sphere is the scene of the human condition of grief and provocation that calls for a societal consensus to nurture a sense of humanity and its values in the face of a few but powerful forces. The Declaration of Human Rights is written in blue, intended to remind us of our globe, Earth, which is composed of 70% water, a similar amount of water to our human bodies.

The glass sphere is created as an art object now when 75 years have passed since the Declaration of Human Rights was ratified to enhance peaceful relations between the world’s nations. The Declaration stipulates human rights to which all people are entitled regardless of race, colour, sexual orientation, language, religion, opinion, nationality, origin, property, ancestry, or other circumstances. Therefore, the creation of the Globe of Goodwill has its source in common compassion, love of one’s neighbour and hope for more peaceful relations between nations.

Guðjón Ketilsson (b. 1956) is one of the most prominent and prolific artists in Iceland and the recipient of the Icelandic Art Prize in 2020. Guðjón has held over thirty solo exhibitions, including Jæja, a mid-career retrospective at Kjarvalsstaðir in 2022, and participated in group exhibitions around the world. His work can be found in all major museums in Iceland and in public spaces in Iceland and the Nordic countries. Guðjón has worked in equal measure at drawings and sculpture with an emphasis on craftsmanship. Through his work, he explores the human condition, the body and our everyday surroundings where familiar objects, forms, words or written text are brought to light in a new and often surprising context.

The Globe of Goodwill will be sold at the museum shop from December 7th until December 21st, or for as long as it remains in stock. 

For the past few weeks, Hafnarborg has been going through some renovations, as we have been installing a new lighting system in the upper gallery of the museum, as well as painting the ceiling of the gallery.

We are then delighted to invite you back to the exhibition Landscape for the Chosen Ones which will reopen to guests from today, Saturday December 2nd.

The participating artists are Arna Beth, Fritz Hendrik IV, Margrét Helga Sesseljudóttir, Sól Hansdóttir, Vikram Pradhan, Bíbí Söring and Þrándur Jóhannsson, but the exhibition also features works by Eiríkur Smith, Patrick Huse and Sigrid Valtingojer from the collection of Hafnarborg and the ASÍ Art Museum.

The curators of the exhibition are Eva Lín Vilhjálmsdóttir and Odda Júlía Snorradóttir.

The exhibition will be open until December 30th.

Free entry – everyone welcome.