Hildur Elísa Jónsdóttir is an artist, musician and composer interested in storytelling and creating engulfing experiences within spaces, often inspired by the mundanity of everyday life. In her works, she uses relational aesthetics and methods of institutional critique to interrupt and criticise normative narrative and show her subjects from a new angle.

Through a variety of media – performance, moving image, installation and music – Hildur Elísa employs normalised human behaviours and experiences critically, displacing them into an artistic context. By placing these mundane, everyday happenings in unconventional and absurd scenes, she aims to challenge our understanding of our heavily constructed social reality, reflecting on our ability to create new meaning and to forge our reality – always asking ‘why’ and ‘what if’.

Hildur Elísa Jónsdóttir holds a diploma in classical clarinet from the Reykjavík College of Music and a BA in Fine Art from the Iceland University of the Arts. During her studies at the IUA, she went on exchange in the Kunst und Vermittlung department at HSLU in Switzerland. After graduating, she interned with artist Lina Lapelytė in Vilnius. Her works have been selected for various festivals; Gaudeamus Muziekweek, Grachtenfestival, November Music, LungA, Platform Nord, Tokyo Biennale and Ung Nordisk Musik, and have been performed by, among others, Juho Myllylä, K!art, Jónas Ásgeir Ásgeirsson and Antti Tolvi. Besides making her work, Hildur Elísa has served on the board of the Association of Icelandic Artists, is currently vice chair of Ung Nordisk Musik Iceland and co-founded Associate Gallery with Ástríður Jónsdóttir and Joe Keys.

The residency is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture.

Hildur Elísa Jónsdóttir residency is organised by Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association. Residency curators – Aušra Vismantaitė-Silva, Monika Kalinauskaitė and Edvinas Grinkevičius. Activities of Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists’ Association are funded by Lithuanian Council for Culture.

SODAS 2123 activities are supported by Lithuanian Council for Culture and Vilnius city municipality.