The enduring beauty of Icelandic nature has long served as a source of inspiration for artists and designers. Snow-covered mountains, mossy landscapes, and vast lava fields – these dramatic elements of the terrain have profoundly influenced the creative dialogue between artists and designers Lilý Erla Adamsdóttir and Thora Finnsdóttir. Their ongoing collaboration debuts in this DesignMarch exhibition at Listval Gallery.
Approaching their craft from distinct yet complementary perspectives, Lilý Erla and Thora engage in an artistic exchange, sharing techniques and methodologies. While Lilý Erla works in a more sculptural way, building her textile objects by taking inspiration from her experience and creating a stylised version of the source, Thora takes a different approach. In her work, she focuses not only on capturing the details of landscapes in ceramics she also creates an exact imprint of the natural elements, almost as an act of appropriation.
The exhibition reveals how these differing approaches inform and influence one another, forging an evocative dialogue between textile and ceramics. The organic, undulating forms on display evoke Iceland’s lava fields, yet their abstraction suggests a deeper connection – one that extends beyond nature to the human body itself. In doing so, the works invite viewers to contemplate their own relationship with the land and the nature that shapes them.
