The Recent Work of Erla S. Haraldsdóttir
One of Iceland’s greatest visual artists, Erla S. Haraldsdóttir, an academically trained painter, now exhibits for the first time a series of oil paintings where dream sequences and natural landscapes from Iceland weave together, as a part of her autobiographical and autoethnographic project, “My Mother’s Dream”.
The artist invites guests to step into the world of dreams revolving around her great-grandmother’s diary entries. A book where her great-grandmother journals her mother’s dream, also translated in Swedish, German, English and IsiNdebele languages, representing places Erla has become familiar with – in addition to series of large-format paintings and smaller sketches that illustrate sequences from a kinswoman’s dream from around the year 1858.
Iceland’s hidden people play a great part in this unfolding scenery and fond illusions on a deep intimate level, particular to the context of Iceland in the late 19th century when belief in the hidden people was prevalent. The exhibition “My Mothers Dream” offers a multilayered connection reflecting elements from the artist great-great-grandmothers dreams, while considering their value in our time. The diary as an art piece also includes a photograph of the artist’s great-great-grandmother and great-grandmother, leaving blank pages to be filled, to further unconscious dreamscapes.
“My Mothers Dream” offers the visual story of a hidden woman going through difficult labour. Seeking help from a young girl, and promising a gift in return, the hidden woman strongly urges the girl never to speak of their encounter. The girl vows not to do so but then breaks her promise and goes through great difficulty reconciling with the hidden woman. 
Erla S. Haraldsdóttir’s beautifully vibrant series are done with oil on canvas, but also directly on the walls of the museum space. Patterned wall art, inspired from the Ndbele tribe women in South Africa where Erla herself resides, gives onlookers the feel of deep ancient connection of the world as whole, hidden or not.
Family matters, the role of a woman are a strong thread. The dreamy mythical material of the diary, mixed with several colourful inkjet prints of female reproductive organs merging with Icelandic folk costumes, gives observers a feel of intensity and curiosity, yet calm reassurance and a sense of belonging.
The exhibition, located at Hveragerði’s art museum; Listasafn Árnesinga, runs through 2nd of March – 25th of August 2024
Erla S. Haraldsdóttir, who also has varied experience in performative genres and video art, studied at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm and the San Francisco Arts Institute, in addition to a MFA degree from the Valand Academy of Fine Art in Gothenburg, 1998.
