The exhibition “Life Ahead” by Álfheidur Ólafsdóttir (pictured) opens in Gallery Art Iceland on Skólavördustígur, downtown Reykjavík, today at 3 pm. The Icelandic group XBand will entertain visitors during the opening ceremony.
The theme of Ólafsdóttir’s exhibition is elves and trolls from folk tales. She was raised in the east Icelandic countryside and the closeness to nature and folk belief influenced her as a painter, as described in a press release.
“I’ve always thought that I was kind of an elf,” the artist said. “The folk belief is so strong that we can feel it all around us. We can see clear images of trolls in rocks and hillocks if we pay close attention.”
“I’m going to leave it to visitors to create the stories behind my paintings, so everyone can see them with their own eyes,” Ólafsdóttir added.
Ólafsdóttir exhibited her folk story paintings in Akranes, west Iceland, last summer, which was especially popular among the younger generations. The artist welcomed the young visitors dressed as a fairy and told them tales of the hidden world.
