Last year, Hafnarborg received a generous donation of sculptures by artist Sóley Eiríksdóttir (1957-1994), bestowed upon the museum by the artist’s daughter, Brynja Jónsdóttir. To mark the occasion, the museum presents a retrospective of Sóley’s works, but Sóley was born and raised in Hafnarfjörður, the daughter of Bryndís Sigurðardóttir and artist Eiríkur Smith.

Sóley worked with clay in different forms throughout her career, but she would also use concrete and steel for the making of large-scale works. In the early stages, she focused mostly on traditional pottery, having perhaps a more utilitarian purpose, but in the late 80’s the artist reworked her distinct imagery, which formerly served primarily to decorate pots or bowls, and she gave the images new life in three-dimensional pieces, drawings and graphic works. At this retrospective, works of this nature, now belonging to the Hafnarborg Collection, will be shown alongside other works spanning Sóley’s career, which was defined by amusing wit, joy and lightness.

The exhibition is curated by Aldís Arnardóttir and Aðalheiður Valgeirsdóttir.

Sóley Eiríksdóttir studied metalworking at the Technical College of Hafnarfjörður for a year after finishing her studies at the Flensborg Secondary School. In 1975, she then enrolled in the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts, first at the Department of Teaching before ultimately graduating from the Department of Pottery in 1981. Sóley exhibited widely in her short career, for example at the Reykjavík Art Museum, Hafnarborg, Gallerí Langbrók and the ASÍ Art Museum, as well as abroad, in the United States, Finland, Luxembourg, Canada and Germany.