Hugarflug annual conference on artistic research
11. - 12. September 2025
Iceland University of the Arts
Friday, 12. september, 2025 - 13:00 - 14:30
3x20 min Presentation + 3x10 min Discussion
Moderator: Anna Dröfn Ágústsdóttir
Room:
This presentation introduces Swell (Ólga), a research and exhibition project that explores the emergence of women artists in Iceland during the 1980s and the feminist energies that catalyzed their visibility. Drawing from archival research, interviews, and close study of artworks, this lecture positions women artists as key agents of change—navigating systemic barriers, reshaping institutions, and forging new creative paths. Focusing on the writings of artist and critic Svala Sigurleifsdóttir (b. 1950), alongside the practices of artists such as Rúrí, Gerla, Brynhildur Þorgeirsdóttir, Ásta Ólafsdóttir and others, the presentation traces how a feminist ethos informed both the content and the form of their work. These artists were not only working against the grain of a male-dominated art system but also contributing to a shifting narrative that valued collaboration, experimentation, and personal-political expression. Their contributions are framed not simply as historical artifacts but as enduring forces that continue to shape contemporary understandings of gender, art, and cultural memory in Iceland. Through selected excerpts of interviews, documentation, and artworks, this 20-minute presentation will map the swell—a build-up of collective momentum—and consider how women artists carved space within and beyond dominant structures. It also examines how Svala’s critical writing acted as a feminist intervention, expanding the discourse around women’s art practices and building an alternative canon from within. Formally, the presentation blends storytelling with critical analysis, moving between historical context and specific artistic practices. It will be delivered as a visual-lecture format, incorporating projected images and quotations. This research was part of the 3-year initiative of the Reykjavík Art Museum and University of Iceland to increase knowledge on the role of women in Icelandic art, and was supported by the Museum Fund. This contribution offers a generative entry point into the legacies of a group of women artists in the 1980s in Iceland and invites dialogue on how such histories continue to resonate and demand space in the present.
Becky Forsythe
Curator, writer and editor
Becky Forsythe is a Reykjavík-based curator, writer, and editor whose collaborative, field-driven practice centers on contemporary art, ecologically-informed practices and feminist histories. She has held key roles at the Reykjavík Art Museum, The Living Art Museum, and co-edits Art in Iceland. Becky has developed exhibitions and publications with institutions across Iceland, including Reykjavík Art Museum, Gerðarsafn, Hafnarborg, Skaftfell, Ars Longa and Kling & Bang. Her recent research explores women’s initiatives in Icelandic art of the 1980s. Becky has frequently advised MA students at the Iceland University of the Arts and serves on curatorial and editorial boards, contributing meaningfully to Iceland’s dynamic contemporary art landscape.
