Two Icelanders Nominated For Nordic Art Award

Cartoonist, writer, and comedian Hugleikur Dagsson and printmaker Valgerður Hauksdóttir have been nominated for the 2014 Queen Sonja Nordic Art Award. Along with Hugleikur and Valgerður, this year’s nominees are Cathrine Dahl & Ørjan Aas, Daniel Milan, Mikael Kihlman, Annu Vertanen, Minako Masui, Ane Mette Hol, Svend-Allan Sørensen, Tuula Lehtinen, Vappu Johansson, Elina Sipilä, and  Adam Saks.

“I understand that I’ve been nominated for my full body of work. That’s a good boost for the ego,” Hugleikur said in an interview with Vísir. He was also positive about his co-nominees, saying “These are emerging artists and what I’ve seen of their work is really cool.” And while Hugleikur didn’t believe that he would ultimately be awarded the prize, he said he was deeply touched to have been nominated.

Founded in 2012 by Norway’s Queen Sonja, artists Kjell Nupen, Ørnulf Opdahl, and Sweden’s Atelje Larsen workshop, the Nordic Art Award aims to “generate interest in and promote the development of paper-based art.” In addition to receiving a cash prize, the award recipient will also have the opportunity to study at the Atelje Larsen workshop. This year, all of the nominees’ work will be exhibited by the Association of Norwegian Printmakers in Oslo from May 27 – July 27.