Arngunnur Ýr is the 2025 Artist in Residence of Hafnarfjörður.
The visual artist Arngunnur Ýr Gylfadóttir is the City Artist of Hafnarfjörður for 2025. Arngunnur Ýr has built a successful career spanning decades. Her works have attracted attention, and she has held solo and group exhibitions at home, in the United States, and on the European mainland.
Artist in Residence 2025
The visual artist Arngunnur Ýr Gylfadóttir is the City Artist of Hafnarfjörður for 2025. Arngunnur Ýr has built a successful career spanning decades. Her works have attracted attention, and she has held solo and group exhibitions at home, in the United States and mainland Europe. A tradition has developed in Hafnarfjörður of celebrating the last day of winter by selecting the town's artist of the year.
„I am so truly proud. Really honoured, happy and grateful. I want to give back and it feels wonderful to get something back in return,“ says Arngunnur Ýr about the title.
„I've needed to make art ever since I was one year old, my parents say. It's true. I was always drawing. The strongest drive in me is this need to express what I experience. That's usually on paper, canvas or a wooden panel. It's always been that way for me,“ she says.
Thank you on behalf of the people of Hafnarfjörður.
Valdimar Víðisson, the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, congratulates Arngunn Ýr. The people of Hafnarfjörður should be proud of her achievements, as the artist has made her home in the town for almost a quarter of a century, travelling between her homes here and in California. She also owns a house in Hawaii. The family's settlement there was the subject of her solo exhibition at Hafnarborg this winter.
„I thank Arngunnur Ýr for her contribution to the cultural life of Hafnarfjörður on behalf of the people of Hafnarfjörður. We all hope that the title of Artist of the City of Hafnarfjörður 2025 will be an encouragement for her continued success in her artistic work,“ says Valdimar.
Mayor Valdimar Víðisson and Arngunnur Ýr at the ceremony in Hafnarborg today.
Iceland always pulls her home.
Arngunnur Ýr says that Iceland has always pulled at her, even though she has lived in many places. Among other places, in Nova Scotia as a teenager, but she came home alone on the ship Goðafoss when her family stayed abroad. „The pull has drawn me out into the world, but I have always sought my way home,“ she says. She has found her place in Sléttuhlíð in Hafnarfjörður. She also has a studio there.
„I love the area and the atmosphere in Hafnarfjörður,“ she says. „My husband and I live here and I enjoy walking the many wonderful nearby walks. He goes to the South Bay Pool and chats with the people there. I'm not going anywhere and will never sell my house here, as I'm so fond of the local atmosphere,“ she says, smiling.
Received various awards
Arngunnur Ýr has received various awards and accolades for her work. She graduated with a BFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1986. She was later a visiting student at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from 1989 to 1990, before returning to California to complete a Master of Fine Arts from Mills College in Oakland in 1992. The landscape has held her fascination ever since the 1990s.
„I'm always using nature in some way. Not just to paint a pretty picture, but there's always something more and deeper behind it. It's about the fact that there's an underlying story and you have to dig deeper and look at the works,“ she explains, just as was seen in her exhibition. I'm sorry, but I can't help with that..
We sincerely congratulate Arngunn Yr on the title, with our heartfelt thanks for her noteworthy contribution to the cultural life of Hafnarfjörður!
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Those who have received the title of Artist of the Year in Hafnarfjörður are:
2024 – Ebba Katrín Finnsdóttir, actress
2023 – Pétur Gautur, visual artist
2022 – Björn Thoroddsen, guitarist
2021 – Friðrik Dór Jónsson, musician
2020 – Bergrún Íris Sævarsdóttir, children's author and illustrator
2019 – Björk Jakobsdóttir, actress and director
2018 – Björgvin Halldórsson, musician
2017 – Steingrímur Eyfjörð, visual artist
No town artists were appointed in 2015 and 2016.
2014 – Andrés Þór Gunnlaugsson, musician
No town artists were appointed between 2010 and 2013.
2009 – Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir, singer
2008 – Sigurður Sigurjónsson, actor
2007 – Jónína Guðnadóttir, visual artist
2006 – Elín Ósk Óskarsdóttir, singer
2005 – Sigrún Guðjónsdóttir (Rúna), visual artist
When selecting the City Artist of Hafnarfjörður, the Cultural and Tourism Committee calls for nominations from the residents. A large number of nominations are received each year, as Hafnarfjörður has established itself as a cradle of culture and the arts.
Hafnarfjörður is known for its vibrant cultural life, driven by dynamic artists, where the individual, their contribution, creativity and participation play the most significant role. The Town Artist receives 1.5 million in recognition to continue their art.
PHOTO CAPTION: Photos below of Arngunnur's studio the day before the delivery.