SÍM

Magma Art Space is delighted to inform you of the upcoming visual art exhibition by Telma Har, Arcanæ Figuræ: Feminine Self-Portraits from the Nordic folktales, which will be held in the beautiful setting of Palazzo dei Priori in the city of Volterra (Tuscany, Italy).

Arcanæ Figuræ (from Latin: mysterious creatures or mysterious characters) is the interpretation of some of the most famous Nordic legends through photographic self-portraits and handmade costumes. Telma Har brings to life tales of hidden women, mythical creatures and other traditional female characters, impersonating the protagonists themselves in the Icelandic nature.

These characters very often represent a serious threat to male hegemony: always, the strong message of the legends is that women must follow the "norms", respect the social order of class and gender and are strongly discouraged from changing their status.
From the legend of the Kópakonan , the Seal Woman forced to marry a mortal man and therefore to abandon her true nature; to those who refuse marriage and are the object of discrimination; to the myths of the útburður, the spirits of illegitimate newborns abandoned into the wilderness (this time observed from the mother's point of view), Telma Har's storytelling takes us into an ancient and mysterious dimension, while treating topics that are very current and significant still today.

Although there has been some improvements from the ancient times, it is never enough to talk about the female point of view, in any form, language or place. With Arcanæ Figuræ Telma Har proposes this dialogue starting from a literary and folkloristic point of view, then proceeding beyond time and borders.

Telma Har is an emerging Icelandic artist who works mainly with photography: she studied at Ljósmyndaskólinn in Reykjavík and is part of the artist collective Myrkraverk Gallery. Her particular creative process consists in the manual creation of all the costumes, objects and parts of the set used as background, when she is not shooting directly in nature.

The main theme in Telma Har's practice is a search for roots, both personal and cultural: ancient Icelandic folk tales have been explored briefly in some of her previous photographic series, such as Völva (exhibited at Palazzo Grifoni, San Miniato, in November 2023 within the group show Surroundings /ENVIRONMENT), and now more thoroughly in Arcanæ Figuræ.

Arcanæ Figuræ is curated by Magma Art Space, a contemporary art project by Clizia Macchi, that has organised numerous activities in Iceland and abroad since May 2023, with the participation of several international artists. Magma Art Space's attention is directed in particular to contemporary art that draws on traditional or ancient techniques, and to methods of expression that are strong and evocative in their simplicity .