The exhibition is the result of a process of finding my way back from burnout. It traces a journey from nervous collapse and anxiety toward examining emotions and, ultimately, accepting the need to let go. Emotions can hit so hard that the body responds with tangible pain, but sometimes they simply need to be allowed to wash over us like waves. When anxiety arose, I became so stuck in asking “why?” that I locked it away and intensified it, instead of allowing it to pass through me. Whenever I think about this, a line from the film Elizabethtown comes to mind: “You have five minutes to wallow in the delicious misery, embrace it, discard it and proceed.”

In the artistic process itself, I moved from two-dimensional work into three-dimensional form and then back again into two dimensions. The process was deeply healing, as it began in my sketchbook, with no real sense of where it would lead, and gradually became a visual interpretation of my state of mind. From that imagery, I decided to sculpt women at different stages of the process, and then translate them back into a two-dimensional form. After working with these emotions on such a deep level, I experienced firsthand how art therapy works and how creative practice can help a person move through suffering. I rediscovered a part of myself that I had lost through motherhood, studies, and work. In the end, the process became a full series telling the story of a woman working her way out of burnout through creation.

Unnur Gígja Ingimundardóttir (b. 1988) has completed a wide range of art courses at both Fjölbrautarskólinn í Breiðholti and Iðnskólinn í Hafnarfirði, and ultimately graduated from the Fashion Design programme at FB. She holds a B.Ed. in Primary Education with a focus on arts and crafts, and will complete her master’s degree in arts and crafts education in June 2026. Alongside her studies, she has worked as an instructor in compulsory school, first as a substitute and later as a homeroom teacher. Over the years, Unnur has always engaged in creative work in her free time — whether drawing, painting, sewing, or writing — but only now is she stepping outside the box and presenting herself as an artist.

Curator: Elvar Gunnarsson

There will be a special exhibition opening on Thursday, April 30th  from 18:00-21:00 and you are welcome!

Other opening hours

Fri                             1st   may           16:00 – 20:00
Sat                           2nd  may           13:00 –  17:00
Sun                          3rd  may            14:00 – 17:00

LG // Litla Gallerý is sponsored by the Culture and Tourism Committee of Hafnarfjörður for this event.