The artist residency, Skammdegi, offering two months in the Dark Winter, is not something that many artists are drawn to. And yet artists come from all over the world to experience this unique challenge in the small community of Olafsfjordur, North Iceland. Eighteen artists of all backgrounds and persuasions came for the December and January 2016-17 residency. They came from eight countries. They came wanting the opportunity of an immersive and distant environment outside of their own familiar world. The experience removes them from the expectations and chatter of a competitive art world into the unknown world of prolonged darkness that very few places on earth can offer.

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You’ll see here in the Festival the work of the artists who have worked hard to reflect their experiences and personal impressions of the landscape, the culture, the weather, and people. You will witness the variety of ideas, sources, materials, and inspirations that have resulted in the work they put forward.

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Over the course of the four-day Festival five artists will exhibit and perform work that meet the challenges of this interesting venue opportunity at Landsbjorg. They have chosen this site for its unusual possibilities and to see what happens with the juxtaposition of contemporary art in a building that does not conform to typical standards of art exhibition.