"Kría / Arctic tern" Artwork

Jóhanna Sveinsdóttir was born and raised in the countryside in Iceland but moved to Reykjavík during her student years and lives there now. She draws inspiration from the paths of her childhood in the countryside and, for example, uses vegetation in the processing of her works. Insects and other animals have found their way onto the works in recent seasons. They give people an eye, remind us of them and their right to exist. They are sometimes metaphorical and show questionable and/or common human behavior.

The names of the works are often taken from memories in the countryside and refer to how nature is intertwined with the people/farmers who live and work there every day. Daily life also inevitably influences the creative process. Contemporary issues are hard to rule out. The artist is like a sponge who absorbs influences from everyday life but also stirs in his memories and experiences in a bright and colorful way to survive in these uncertain and anxious times.

Jóhanna uses various printing techniques in her works and graduated from the Printmaking department in Icelandic School of Art and Crafts in 1991. She does not hesitate to mix methods and most of her later works are monoprints which are then worked on with acrylics and other materials. Using a gelplate and silicone plate printing methods, she manages to capture details from nature such as veins and the delicacy of leaves and straws.
After studying at Iceland's Art and Handicraft School, Jóhanna went to New York and studied graphics and mixed media at The Art Students League of New York 1991-1992. She has also attended various courses and workshops. She is a member of The Icelandic Printmakers Association and The Association of Icelandic visual artists.
She has held several solo exhibitions, most recently in the summer of 2024 in Reykjavík and in February-March 2025 in Borgarnes, Iceland. She has participated in many group exhibitions in Iceland and abroad.