The town artist Ebba Katrín grew up by the stream.

Ebba Katrín is the 2024 Civic Artist.

Who is Ebba Katrín? „She is the sister of three brothers. I grew up in Setberg in Hafnarfjörður, all my childhood,“ answers the 2024 Artist in Residence of Hafnarfjörður. Let's get to know her even better: „The only girl among a group of brothers with a doctor in the back garden.“

Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir was born in 1992. She started acting at a young age and first took to the stage here in Hafnarfjörður at Setbergsskóli, where she was in secondary school. She attended Versló and graduated from the acting programme at the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2018. She began her career at the Borgarleikhúsið but now works at the Þjóðleikhúsið. This season, she is in the productions Word against word, Frost and Ellen B. At the National Theatre, she appeared in, among others. Romeo and Juliet as she was also one of the songwriters. Also Uglu in The Atomic Power Station - A Retrospective and she received a Gríma Award for it. Ebba Katrín acted in For a few moments at night, Love and Information and The Master and Margarita.

Versatile actress

Ebba Katrín has received rave reviews and taken part in numerous productions. She has performed not only on stage but also on television. She appeared in Human customs on RÚV, in the film Agnes Joy, the series Ordinary people 2 and 3. She has then appeared in the short films and The New Year's Eve sketch show. Most recently, we saw her in a leading role in the series Housework. She is currently starring in a four-part series about Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, produced by Vesturport.

As we know, Ebba Katrín is the 2024 Artist in Residence for Hafnarfjörður. „I'm proud. I feel it's a great honour and it's also a source of inspiration. Now I want to do better, go on to a master's degree and give something back. I'm already thinking: How can I carry on and give back what I received when I was younger in the town. Just as people supported me when I was growing up,“ she says about the title in a video which was shown when he was awarded. „I think this is brilliant.“

Watch the video here.

How did Ebba Katrín's acting career begin?

„I go to a summer course at the Hafnarfjörður Theatre when I'm a child, take part in ”Jólastjarnan' in the hall at Setbergsskóli. That was my first appearance. Then I take singing lessons and do drama in primary school when we could choose it as an optional subject. I go to Versló and the ball starts rolling. Then we were in Konubörnum, put on a play, wrote it ourselves, and performed over 20 shows at the Gaflar Theatre under the direction of Bjarkar. An absolute core memory," says Ebba Katrín.

What has been the most memorable part of your career so far, and why?

„Konubörn is something we wrote ourselves and was our masterpiece. I thought it was so beautiful that we all got rejected but didn't let it break us; instead, we created and are all working in this field today. There were six of us,“ she describes.

„So I'd say Húsó. I think it's brilliant to try making a film. I'm acting in the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir series. An absolute honour. But perhaps if I had to choose two from the theatre, it would be Konubörn, which holds a place in my heart, and the current one-man show, which is a baptism of fire; Word for Word.“

Do you have a favourite place in Hafnarfjörður?

„I'd say it would be Lækjarbergi, where I grew up. It's an absolute favourite place. It's lovely to walk along the streams up to Káldársel. Hellisgerði is also incredibly beautiful. My favourite places are all the ones where my people live, Klettahraunið. The heart of it is Setbergið.“

What does it mean to you to be the town artist? Pride? Was it a surprise?

„Was it a surprise? Yes. I feel so young and have so much left to do. I look up to role models and hadn't seen myself in the running for the Artist in Residence of Hafnarfjörður. I asked: are you sure? It's so strange being an actor. Everything is interpreted through the eyes of others and you can't be judged on what you do. So, some people feel one way and others feel another. Acting isn't like painting, and so I feel I'm still finding my way into being an artist,“ she says frankly.

„This is an honour that inspires me to want to do more and continue on this path. A complete boost,“ she says.