Sóley Ragnarsdóttir

Sóley Ragnarsdóttir's practice unfolds through acts of collecting: shells, stones, amber, plastics, and napkins — fragments of the everyday that carry memory and meaning. What began with an inherited napkin collection from her grandmother has evolved into a broader investigation of material transformation and domestic ritual. Living near the coast of Thy, she gathers natural and man-made debris washed ashore — amber bearing traces of prehistoric forests and plastics that speak of industrial excess and fleeting use. These elements merge within her works as layered compositions of found materials sealed in epoxy, an industrial medium that both preserves and contrasts their fragility. Ragnarsdóttir’s process bridges painting, assemblage, and ornamentation, merging care and craft with painterly experimentation.

Born in 1991 in Iceland, Sóley Ragnarsdóttir lives and works in Thy, Denmark. She also studied at the Städelschule, Frankfurt am Main under Professors Amy Sillman, Monika Baer, and Nikolas Gambaroff, and later at the Overgaden INTRO postgraduate program in Copenhagen (2021). Solo presentations include Queen of Hearts, Augustiana Kunsthal and Kunstpark, Denmark (2024), Sign of Care, series of public sculptures, Berceto, Italy (2024) Queen of Hearts, Gerðarsafn Kópavogur Art Museum, Kópavogur, Iceland (2024) and Cherrystone, Formation Gallery, Copenhagen (2022).