Drawing has been central to Helga Páley’s work from the beginning. She explores the boundaries of the medium by transferring drawings onto canvas and other media. In the exhibition “Flauelstjald,” you can see works on paper and canvas where drawing remains the foundation. The curtain, a recurring motif in her works, symbolizes an idea or phenomenon inviting further exploration. When the curtain opens, it reveals a world of textures, colors, shapes, and enigmatic elements, inviting the viewer to delve into their own interpretations.
Til að fara úr þessum heim í annan
þarftu að fálma þig áfram í myrkrinu og treysta,
þangað til þú kemur að mjúku flauelstjaldi.
Þegar þú dregur tjaldið frá finnurðu svið.
Þú sérð hluti, staflaða ofan á hvornannan.
Ljósashow og tæknibrellur.
Það eru fáir leikarar á þessu sviði, mest litir, áferðir, óeiginlegir hlutir.
Þú telur þig kannast við ýmislegt en kemur því ekki fyrir þér.
Þú vilt vera með en þekkir ekki söguna.
Þú gerir samt þitt besta.
Andrúmsloftið kramið, slétt úr því og stungið í hólk.
Nú er það þitt en þig þyrstir í meira, þú heldur aftur út í myrkrið í leit að öðru flauelstjaldi.
Helga Páley Friðþjófsdóttir (b. 1987) lives and works in Reykjavík. She graduated from the Iceland University of the Arts in 2011. After graduating, Helga was the director of the 2012 installment of the Æringur art festival, which took place in Rif that year. From 2013 to 2015, Helga was part of the Kunstschlager Group and took part in running a gallery at Rauðarárstígur 1 and later in the Reykjavík Art Museum. In recent years, Helga has exhibited in many places, including the Reykjanesbær Art Museum, Ásmundarsalur and the Svalbardseyri Museum. Drawing has been close to her heart for a long time, and it plays a big role in her artistic creation. Through drawing, she captures ideas on paper and gives them time to ferment before transferring them to canvas or a three-dimensional form.
