Þórdís Erla Ágústs­dóttir │Heartstrings: intimacy in the everyday

Reykjavík Museum of Photography

She focuses on the relationships and feelings between individuals. Nature is an integral element of the environment and affects emotions and behaviour. To illustrate how intertwined these two are, Þórdís Erla inserts powerful atmospheric images of the Icelandic landscape alongside the photographs of people. 

Þórdís Erla has photographed the people—most of whom are close to her or individuals she knows well—over long periods of time. She selects moments from everyday life, small instances that tell a larger story.


„I spend a long time with them. In that way I am able to capture moments that are genuine and sincere. Intimacy with the people I photograph yields a deeper and more meaningful outcome.”

Through the human interactions that Þórdís Erla captures and makes visible, she draws attention to the essence of what it is to be human — our need for intimacy and real relationships, in a society where electronic communications have exacerbated loneliness and isolation.
The photographs tell stories of different people—some she has followed over long periods, while others appear only in one storyline. The exhibition is personal, focussing on Icelandic reality, but the subject matter is universal.  


“My parents appear often. They now live at the Grund old people’s home. For some time now my mother has been experiencing dementia. She was my refuge, my rock. I am documenting the last steps of our journey together, storing up memories to soothe my grief and heartache. I try to cling on to time through my visual documentation, yet at the same time I am aware of how it makes its mark on everything, disrupts everything." 

"Photographs are on the boundary of documentation and fiction, and it is within that intriguing space that I do my work. Ultimately, my aim with this exhibition is to highlight what is meaningful in everyday life — the intimacy found in ‘the ordinary,’ which is often overlooked, yet means everything.“ 

Þórdís Erla Ágústsdóttir graduated with a BA in Photography from the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie in Arles, France. She holds an MA in Applied Cultural Communication from the University of Iceland and a diploma in Art Education from the Iceland University of the Arts. Þórdís’s photographic work often centers on nature, the human being in a broad context, communities, and people’s homes. She emphasizes working on her projects over long periods, often spanning more than 20 years.


For most of her career, Þórdís has worked as a freelance photographer in Iceland, specializing in photographing people, landscapes, and events. She has also taught photography for 15 years. Þórdís has participated in numerous exhibitions both in Iceland and abroad, and her photographs have been featured in international media, as well as in various magazines and books. She is one of the founding members of the Icelandic Contemporary Photography Association (FíSL).


Her website can be viewed [here](https://www.thordiserla.is/index).

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Þórdís Erla Ágústsdóttir │Heartstrings: intimacy in the everyday

In her photographs, Þórdís Erla seeks to capture the intangible aspects of people’s everyday lives within their homes and in other places that are important to them.

Þórdís Erla Ágústs­dóttir │Heartstrings: in­tim­acy in the every­day

In her photographs, Þórdís Erla seeks to capture the intangible aspects of people’s everyday lives within their homes and in other places that are important to them.

Þórdís Erla Ágústsdóttir │Heartstrings: intimacy in the everyday