About SÍM
SÍM maintains over 140 studios in four locations in the capital area. SÍM also operates three guest studios, two in Iceland and one in Berlin.
SÍM assists members in professional matters relating to copyright, VAT, insurance, transport, customs, exhibitions and legal matters. All assistance provided is free of charge.
SÍM's offices in Hafnarstræti 16, 101 Reykjavík. There is also an exhibition hall that is open to all SÍM members for exhibitions, meetings and other events.
SÍM
The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists (SÍM) was founded in 1982 and is an interest and trade union of visual artists, with about 950 members.
SÍM has fought for various rights and interests of visual artists since its establishment and much has been achieved in the fight.
Members have either individual membership in SÍM or through professional associations of visual artists, but under SÍM's umbrella there are 7 professional associations of visual artists.
SÍM's goal is to improve the terms and working environment of visual artists, safeguard their interests and rights. SÍM handles various tasks for public bodies, nominates representatives to committees and councils and gives comments on various issues. SÍM is the most populous association of creative artists in Iceland.
SÍM's activities can be divided into two parts, the internal work, which deals with services to artists and the external work, which deals with the public sector, communication with other NGOs and foreign parties.
SÍM - THE INTERNAL WORK
SÍM assists its members in various professional matters. There are various available on SÍM's website agreements , reference rate SÍM, competition rules SÍM etc. All assistance provided by SÍM is available to members free of charge.
SÍM manages the fund Mugg , a connection fund for visual artists, which is a collaborative project between SÍM, the City of Reykjavík and Myndstef. Muggur provides grants for stays abroad for art projects.
SÍM's website contains various practical information for members. The website is updated daily with information on exhibitions and other art-related events.
SÍM maintains the database arkiv.is - An information website about art and visual artists in Iceland, but the website is based on data from the Visual Arts Information Center, (umm.is) which was founded in 1995. The database is huge and multifaceted and has proved essential for various cultural institutions, artists, scholars, teachers and foreign curator.
Members receive an annual membership certificate, which is a combination of a national and an international certificate (IAA). The certificate provides free access to all major art museums in Iceland and abroad. In addition, you can get discounts at many stores and service companies that trade in art products upon presentation of the certificate.
SÍM - EXTERNAL WORK
SÍM is in active collaboration with public bodies and other NGOs both domestically and abroad. SÍM is a party
to CAR , KÍM , Visual Arts Council , BHM , Art festival and Video conference - Icelandic Authors' Fund and IAA, International Association of Visual Artists.
SÍM HOUSE
SÍM's offices are in Hafnarstræti 16, 101 Reykjavík. In SÍM-húsið, you can access all the main information about Icelandic art, visual artists and related material in one place. There are also meeting facilities, facilities for smaller exhibitions and a library where various magazines and professional books are available, as well as promotional material on related topics.
The facilities in SÍM - húsið are available to members free of charge for lectures, seminars or other art-related events.
REKSTRARFÉLAG SÍM
SÍM rents studio premises for members from all over the capital area. SÍM's studios have various workshops and showrooms. SÍM's studios are located on Seljavegur, Hólmaslóð, Héðinsgata, Korpúlfsstaðir, Lyngási in Garðabær and at four locations in Auðbrekka in Kópavogur. In SÍM's workshops, close to 230 members have their work facilities.
SÍM operates guest studios for foreign artists in Reykjavík. SÍM's guest studios, SIM Residency, are located on Seljavegur and Korpúlfsstaðir. In SÍM's guest studios, an average of 18 artists stay every month, or about 200 guest artists a year. SIM Residency was founded in 2002 and is a very important part of the Icelandic art scene, as it is one of a kind in Reykjavík.
FORMENN TÍM FROM THE BEGINNING
Sigrún Guðjónsdóttir 1982 - 1984, first chairman of SÍM / Gunnsteinn Gíslason 1984 - 1986 / Guðný Magnúsdóttir 1986 - 1989 / Þór Vigfússon 1989 - 1992 / Kristján Steingrímur Jónsson 1992- 1994 / Sólveig Eggertsdóttir 1994- 1996 / Bryndís Jónsdóttir 1996-1998 / Vignir Jóhannsson 1998 - 2000 / Pétur Stefánsson 2000 - 2002 / Áslaug Thorlacius 2002 - 2009 / Hlynur Hallsson 2009 - 2010 / Hrafnhildur Sigurðardóttir 2010 - 2014 / Jóna Hlíf Halldórsdóttir 2014 - 2018 / Anna Eyjólfsdóttir 2018 -