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Skaftfell Center for Visual Art
Skaftfell Center for Visual Art is situated in Austurvegur 42 in Seyðisfjörður, in a grand timber house built-in 1907. The house contains the Skaftfell gallery and bookshop on the middle floor, the artist residency apartment on the top floor, and the Skaftfell Bistro and library on the ground floor.
Skaftfell's role is to present, discuss, and encourage the development of contemporary art in East Iceland. The center was founded in the year 1998 by a group of art enthusiasts, the Skaftfell Group, in memory of the artist Dieter Roth (1930-1998) who lived and worked in Seyðisfjörður for periods of time during the last decade of his life. In the Skaftfell Bistro you can find many of his prints and artist books on display.
Skaftfell is an important meeting point for artists and locals. The art center's activities involve exhibitions and events throughout the year, alongside an international artist residency program and an art education program. Every year Skaftfell organizes and hosts seminars with art students in collaboration with the Icelandic Art Academy and other schools and institutions on all school levels. Skaftfell is also the guardian of a minuscule house in Seyðisfjörður, Geirahús, previously owned by the local naive artist Ásgeir Emilsson (1931-1999). Now a tiny museum, Geirahús can be visited by appointment. Another artwork to visit is Tvísöngur, a sound sculpture on the hills of the fjord, developed by Lukas Kühne with Skaftfell in 2012.
Since its foundation, Skaftfell has hosted a large number of exhibitions and projects by international, national and local artists, with an emphasis on contemporary art. Skaftfell has an important role in the area as a provider of information and education about art and art-related subjects. In 2013 Skaftfell received the Icelandic Eyrarrósin award for outstanding cultural leadership in a rural area.
For opening hours please visit our website
For more information please contact us: skaftfell@skaftfell.is or by phone 00354 4721632.
Austurvegur 42
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