Previous Exhibitions

Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Art, Architecture and Traditional Knowledge

Veröld – House of Vigdís 6 January – 7 February 2020

The Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Art, Architecture and Traditional Knowledge exhibition is the result of a contest that involved Inuit from all over the Inuit Nunangat territory (Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and Inuvialuit). This initiative is the first of its kind in the relatively recent history of Canadian Inuit art. Called upon to submit a work of art to be integrated into the architecture of the new Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) in Ikaluktutiak (Cambridge Bay), Nunavut, the artists created works illustrating the contribution of traditional knowledge to the development of sciences and technologies of international caliber, still in use today, thus putting to light past and present Inuit peoples’ ingenuity and inventiveness (Qanuqtuurniq). The fifty or so drawings presented in this exhibition were created by the winners of this competition and all fall under the same theme: Honoring the timeless creative genius of past and present Inuit.

The exhibition was held in cooperation with the Embassy of Canada to Iceland. The Exhibition Catalogue can be downloaded here.

Transitions / Vistabönd

Veröld – House of Vigdís 29 August – 29 October 2019

Participants of the exhibition Transitions / Vistabönd were the composer Anna Þorvaldsdóttir, the artists Karlotta Blöndal, Olivia Plender, Unnar Örn and Ragnar Kjartansson, and the author Kristín Ómarsdóttir. With one exception, they all have in common the link of having been artists in residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada, or have had work exhibited there. The exhibition was set up in association with the conference Migration/Vistaskipti, held in the University of Iceland, in collaboration with the University of Manitoba, on 29-30 August 2019. Though its exhibits reflected the varying subject matter of the creative artists, they displayed nonetheless the strong connection between man and nature. Very different localities become the source for art that expresses itself in various forms and media, and the exhibition consisted of visual images, texts and music.

First Encounter. Greenlanders in Ísafjörður in 1925

Veröld – House of Vigdís 17 January – 30 June 2019 and in the National and University Library of Iceland

When the ship Gustav Klimt arrived in Ísafjörður in August 1925, it drew a lot of attention as there were more than a hundred people on board.  It was not unusual for a ship to come into the harbour, of course, but on this occasion it was bearing guests rarely seen, even though they were neighbours, for in addition to the Danish crew, the eighty-nine passengers were Greenlanders. Most of them were from East Greenland, more specifically from the region around Ammassalik, while a further dozen or so were from West Greenland.

This first visit by Greenlanders to Iceland and first encounter between the two nations was covered in detail in Icelandic newspapers, and has often been recalled since. It played a major role in increasing understanding between the two nations.

The Icelandic Sagas Revisited

Veröld – House of Vigdís 1 December 2018 – 2 February 2019

2014 saw the new Danish translation of the complete edition of the Icelandic Sagas, featuring 40 illustrations for 40 of the sagas by the artist, Karin Birgitte Lund. The drawings are being exhibited here as part of the exhibition series that commemorates the 100th anniversary of Iceland’s independence. The exhibition was opened by H.M. Queen Margrethe of Denmark, on 1 December 2018.

The drawings illustrate the sagas, using motifs from Viking and medieval Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The artist’s interpretation provides an impression of the fascinating aesthetic of those periods. The pictures are inspired by medieval Icelandic manuscripts, frescoes from Danish churches, Norwegian stave churches and Gotland’s picture stones.

The exhibition also includes a series of brand new, large-scale drawings inspired by the era of the sagas.

Karin Birgitte Lund was born in Copenhagen in 1946, and from 1967 to 1973 studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. She was awarded the Eckersberg Medal in 1997, and the Danish Arts Foundation’s Honorary Bursary in 2004. She designed and illustrated the new series of Danish banknotes.

Samtal – Dialogue

Veröld – House of Vigdís 17 April 2017 – 15 December 2018

The inaugural exhibition in the new home of the Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Institute, Veröld – House of Vigdís, explores in a range of media the life, work and causes of Vigdís Finnbogadóttir.
The exhibition recounts Vigdís’ student years abroad and her career as a teacher of French, a tour guide, and manager of the Reykjavík Theatre Company, then explores her many-faceted role as President of Iceland 1980–96, and all the good works she has done since leaving office – for instance as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and with the Institute of Foreign Languages which bears her name.

The exhibition also provides insight into interests and causes that are dear to Vigdís’ heart; visitors will see some of her favourite books, along with quotations and poetry; and observe the Friendship Forest at Þingvellir grow and flourish. Visitors are encouraged to participate in dialogue with Vigdís: to take seat in the blue theatre chairs and contemplate concepts such as: honesty, human rights, culture, knowledge, equality, language, progress, broad-mindedness and education.