Petra Hjartardóttir Icelandic, b. 1992
“Petra Hjartardóttir conjures new life from ancient traces, using traditional craft to weave memory, matter, and myth into tactile forms.”
Petra Hjartardóttir (b. 1992) is a visual artist based in Reykjavík. She holds an MFA in Sculpture from Yale School of Art (2019) and a BFA in Fine Art from Hunter College in New York (2016), having also completed a foundation program at the Reykjavík School of Visual Arts in 2012.
Petra works with silver-smithing, embroidery, and other traditional crafts. Her practice draws inspiration from old books, newspapers, archaeological objects, and memory. However, the works are not meant to haunt or resurrect the past - they emerge fresh and vital from the decaying soil of history. Her focus lies on overlooked fragments in the immediate environment, where quiet details are transformed into meaningful presence.
She has exhibited in Iceland, the United States, and Italy, with recent solo and duo exhibitions at Harbinger, Kannski, SÍM Gallery, and AiR Sandnes. Petra has participated in several international residencies and received numerous grants and awards supporting her education and artistic development.
Education
2017–2019 – MFA in Sculpture, Yale School of Art, USA
2012–2016 – BFA in Fine Art, Hunter College, The City University of New York, USA
2011–2012 – Foundation Program in Art and Design, Reykjavík School of Visual Arts, Iceland
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Solo & Duo Exhibitions
2025 – Fornar slóðir, SÍM Gallery, Reykjavík (with Karen Pálsdóttir)
2023 – Handan himins, Kannski, Reykjavík (with Jasa Baka)
2023 – Petra Hjartardóttir: Exhibition at AiR Sandnes, Sandnes, Norway
2021 – Sykrað morgunkorn, Harbinger Project Space, Reykjavík
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Group Exhibitions
2025 – Kliður / Murmur, Þula, Reykjavík
2023 – Final Exhibition, Harbinger Project Space, Reykjavík
2022 – Spor og þræðir, Reykjavík Art Museum – Kjarvalsstaðir, Reykjavík
2019 – Too Full To Cry, Shin Gallery, New York, NY
2019 – Öll brögð möguleg, Kling & Bang, Reykjavík
2019 – Yale Sculpture Thesis Show: Part 1, Green Gallery, New Haven, CT
2018 – Laboratorio Aperto, Asilo Sant’Elia, Como, Italy
2017 – Yale MFA 2019 First Year Show, Green Gallery, New Haven, CT
2016 – Hunter BFA Thesis Show, New York, NY
2015 – Imaginary Familiar – a quick burn, Heath Gallery, New York, NY
2015 – Undergraduate Pop-Up Show, Hunter College, New York, NY
2012 – Graduation Exhibition, Reykjavík School of Visual Arts, Medical Museum, Seltjarnarnes
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Grants & Awards
2023 – Muggur Grant for AiR Sandnes Residency, Norway
2023 – Travel Grant, Icelandic Art Center, for AiR Sandnes Residency
2020 – Icelandic Visual Arts Fund, exhibition support for Sykrað morgunkorn
2018 – Landsbankinn Scholarship for Art Studies
2018 – Yale School of Art Grant for CSAV - Artists Research Laboratory, Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Italy
2018 – Yale International Student Scholarship
2015 – Edna Wells Luetz / Frederick P. Riedel Endowed Scholarship, Hunter College
2015 – Summer Internship Award, Office of the Arts, Hunter College
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Residencies
2023 – Kjarvalsstofa, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
2023 – AiR Sandnes, Sandnes, Norway
2018 – CSAV – Artists Research Laboratory, Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Como, Italy
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Published Texts
2021 – Málgagn Ræktarinnar, published text
2019 – How to Begin, Fondazione Antonio Ratti, text and image
