Thursday, 14 September at 8 p.m. we celebrate the opening of this year's autumn exhibition at Hafnarborg, A landscape for the chosen, but the exhibition is the thirteenth in Hafnarborg's autumn exhibition series, which began in 2011. In connection with the festival Art without borders we will also celebrate the opening of a solo exhibition by Sindri Ploder, If I were a monster, in Sverris Hall at Hafnarborg, where Sindri was earlier this year named the festival's artist of the moment.

A landscape for the chosen (14 September to 30 December 2023)
The exhibition explores the imagery of escapism. We live in a world of radically impending change in a society that increasingly demands that individuals take responsibility for global problems. Seeking escapism has therefore become a major part of everyday life. Escapism itself is not a new phenomenon; rather, it has been with us throughout the ages. Its manifestations are and have been varied, but most of them share the common trait of reflecting the very state they are intended to escape. Furthermore, the escape can have a formative effect on the individual who chooses to flee into other worlds.

The artists taking part in the exhibition are Arna Beth, Fritz Hendrik IV, Margret Helga Sesseljudóttir, Sol Hansdóttir, Vikram Pradhan, Bibi Söring and Thorvaldur Jóhannsson, as well as works by Eirik Smith, Patrick Huse and Sigrid Valtingojer From the collections of Hafnarborg and the ASÍ Art Museum. The curators are Eva Lín Vilhjálmsdóttir and Odda Júlía Snorradóttir. To coincide with the opening of the exhibition, a lavish exhibition catalogue is published, featuring texts by the curator and a number of other authors.

If I were a monster (14 September to 15 October 2023)
The exhibition immerses visitors in the visual and imaginative world of the artist Sindri Ploder. Sindri has been drawing monsters since the age of twelve, primarily using pen and paper, but more recently has also translated his drawings into three-dimensional sculptures made from wood, ceramics, mosaic and textiles. Some of Sindri's works are self-portraits, where a playful, daring and provocative joy is plain to see. The twinkle in Sindri's eye is reflected in the drawings, which captivate the viewer at first glance. The curator is Íris Stefanía Skúladóttir, artistic director of Art Without Borders. Björgvin Ploder and friends will play gentle tunes at the opening.

Sindri Ploder (b. 1997) has taken part in numerous exhibitions since 2016, most recently in the exhibition *Fragments of Another Kind of Knowledge*, which was shown at Nýló at the beginning of the year. Sindri first took part in a group exhibition organised by Art Without Borders in 2017, where he collaborated with the designer Mundi Vondi. Sindri also participated in List án landamæra in 2019, 2020 and 2022, where he exhibited drawings, a wool mat and wooden sculptures. In 2019, he took an art course at the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts and subsequently had work in a group exhibition at the school. Sindri has since been studying art with Fjölmennt, alongside his work at Bjarkarási.

Free admission – all are welcome