Thursday, 29 August at 8 pm we celebrate the opening of this year's autumn exhibition at Hafnarborg, Of unknown affection, but the exhibition is the fourteenth in Hafnarborg's autumn exhibition series, which began in 2011. In connection with the 'Art Without Borders' festival, we will also be celebrating the opening of a solo exhibition by Elín Sigríður María Ólafsdóttir, „We see what we want to see.“, in Sverris Hall at Hafnarborg, where Elín was earlier this year named the festival's artist of the moment.

Unknown devotion
The exhibition springs from the need to find magic in a world that seems, in many ways, to be devoid of it, in a time without bright hope. There is a certain magic in allowing things to be what they are, without needing to grasp them with an accompanying obsession with definition. Artworks can, for instance, be sentimental and sharp at the same time, just as they can capture contradictions that, at first glance, seem to exclude one another but are, when all is said and done, undeniably connected. such as pain and emotional growth, trauma and healing, joy and sorrow. The title of the exhibition, then, stems from a notion of magic that involves collective healing and the idea of a better world – but this unknown devotion defines the reality we live in in various ways that we cannot necessarily put into words. This sincerity, however, is always present, though it varies in strength when faced with adversity, and the participants in the exhibition confront this sincerity in their own way.

The artists exhibiting are Björg Þorsteinsdóttir, Sigríður Björnsdóttir, Suzanne Treister, Tabita Rezaire, Kate McMillan, Hildur Hákonardóttir, Ra Tack, Kristín Morthens, Tinna Guðmundsdóttir, Elsa Jónsdóttir, Juliana Irene Smith, Kata Jóhanness, Patty Spyrakos and Edda Karólína. The curator is Þórhildur Tinna Sigurðardóttir. Alongside the exhibition opening, a lavish exhibition catalogue is published, featuring texts by the curator and illustrations by Edda Karólína, as well as a new article by Hildur Hákonardóttir.

„We see what we want to see.“
Elín Sigríður María Ólafsdóttir (b. 1983) has undertaken various courses of study, most notably in art, both at home and abroad, including a diploma course in visual arts for people with disabilities at the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts. Elín also studied fine art at the Egmond Folk High School in Denmark. Elín's artworks have been featured widely in solo and group exhibitions, as well as in books and magazines. For example, Elín has held a solo exhibition at Café Mokka, a collaborative exhibition with Kristín Gunnlaugsdóttir at the Mosfellsbær Art Gallery during Art Without Borders 2012, and took part in the 'Influences' exhibition at the Safnasafnið in 2022. Elín has also exhibited regularly in collaboration with List án landamæra, for example at Reykjavík City Hall and Gerðuberg.

Elín's creativity and artistic talent emerged early, and at a young age she had already begun to create works of art in both words and pictures. Theatre and creative expression on stage have also been a major part of Elín's life; she has worked with the Tjarnarleikhúsið theatre company for many years, published poetry collections, and handled all aspects of stage productions herself, such as set and costume design. This solo exhibition features a selection of works spanning the artist's career from its inception. The subject matter of Elín's work is often fantastical, and she frequently works with the self in different ways within her visual world. Elín encourages visitors to use their imagination during the exhibition and even to create short stories or poems that relate to the artworks. Visitors to the exhibition are also given the opportunity to take to the stage and recite a poem or perform a reading of some kind during the exhibition – in dialogue with Elín's creative work.

Accessibility at Hafnarborg is GREEN

Access is good: ramps are provided at thresholds, there are lifts between floors, an accessible toilet and a blue parking bay near the building.

Free admission – all are welcome.