Sigurður Guðjónsson is the artist of the year 2018

Reykjavík Art Museum congratulates Sigurður Guðjónsson on the Icelandic Art Prize 2018 and Auður Lóa Guðnadóttir on the Motivational Award of the Year. The museum also congratulates all those behind the awards on this debut which is an impressive lever for the art scene in the country.

The prize was awarded for the first time at Reykjavik Art Museum - Hafnarhús on Thursday 22 February. Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir, Minister of Education and Culture, gave the prize. The Icelandic Visual Art Council is behind the award and its purpose is to draw attention to what is well done in the field of art in Iceland and to promote Icelandic artists and Icelandic contemporary art. The Prize money is one million ISK and the motivation prize is ISK 500.000.

Four artists were nominated for the award, the winner himself, Sigurður Guðjónsson, for the exhibition Inlight in the chapel and mourge of former St. Joseph´s Hospital in Hafnarfjörður, curated by the ASÍ Art Museum. Anna Júlía Friðbjörnsdóttir, for the exhibition Serenade in Hafnarborg, Hafnarfjördur, Egill Sæbjörnsson, for the exhibition Ügh & Bõögâr Jewelery in Gallery i8 in Reykjavík and Hulda Vilhjálmsdóttir for the exhibition Valbrá in the Gallery Kling & Bang in Reykjavík.

About Guðjónsson´s exhibition Inlight the jury says that his works create an exceptionally strong whole with impressive interplay of image and sound and that he manages to make the viewers aware of the history of the exhibition space, spiritual dimensions and their own fleeting existence.

The members of the jury are Margrét Kristín Sigurðardóttir, Chairman of the Icelandic Visual Arts Council, Bryndís Hrönn Ragnarsdóttir from the Icelandic Visual Artists Association, Magnús Gestsson, from the Association of Art History and Theory in Iceland, Margrét Elísabet Ólafsdóttir, representative of Managing Directors of art museums and Sigrún Inga Hrólfsdóttir, from the Iceland Academy of the Arts.