Nína Hjálmarsdóttir
Nína Hjálmarsdóttir (they/them) is a performance artist, scholar, writer & producer based in Reykjavík. They are an assistant professor and program director of theory at the performance art department of Iceland University of the Arts. They are currently a performance art critic for Rás 1 / Channel One Radio.
Their performance art collective, Sálufélagar, have produced several performances for stage. Nína has produced for festivals and performance art groups, worked as a cultural critic for different publications and produced radio shows for the Icelandic National Radio. They are the co-founder of queer club night & art collective Sleikur. They hold a B.A. in Performing Arts from Iceland University of the Arts and an M.A. in Performance Studies from New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Nína’s field of research is decolonial theory and queer theory in artistic practice, often situating Iceland and the North in a colonial context.
CURRICULUM VITAE
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Education
2019 - 2020 Master's Degree in Performance Studies from New York University - Tisch School of the Arts.
2018 - 2019 Master's Degree in Creative Writing at the University of Iceland. Unfinished.
2013-2016 B.A. Performing Arts. Iceland Academy of the Arts.
2010-2011 Exchange Student in Cordoba, Argentina
2008-2010 Electronical composing at Kópavogur Music School
2000-2012 Piano at Kópavogur Music School
Selected performances
EDEN - June 2024 & May 2025 - In collaboration with Embla Guðrúnar Ágútsdóttir & MurMur productions - produced by Reykjavík Arts Festival.
INDEPENDENT PARTY PEOPLE 2.0 - September 2019 - In collaboration with Sálufélagar - funded by the Icelandic Performance Art Fund.
INDEPENDENT PARTY PEOPLE 1.0 - Collaborated with Selma Reynisdóttir and Soulmates- funded by the city of Reykjavík - premiered August 2018 in Mengi, Reykjavík.
SUITABLE - Collaborators: Selma Reynisdóttir, Sigurður Andrean Sigurgeirsson & Birkir Sveinbjörnsson - premiered at NEU/NOW FESTIVAL September 2016 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
SÁLUFÉLAGAR - Collaborators: Adolf Smári Unnarsson, Fannar Arnarsson, Selma Reynisdóttir/Eydís Rose Vilmundardóttir, Sigurður Andrean Sigurgeirsson og Þórey Birgisdóttir - premiered May 2016 in Smiðjan, Reykjavík.
Employment
2022 - current: Co-founder and producer of SLEIKUR queer club nights and collective.
2021 - current: Assistant professor and program director of theory at the Performing Arts department of Iceland University of the Arts.
21 - current: Performing arts critic for RÚV, Icelandic National TV & Radio.
2015 - current: Performance artist for and co-founder of Sálufélagar performance art collective.
2018 - 2019: ÁSTIN, RÚV National Radio, Radio Show Producer for Rúv Núll Podcasts, Two seasons.
2018 - 2019: Performance Art Critic for Morgunblaðið newspaper, one of Iceland's biggest newspapers.
2009- current: Freelance Writer for different publications
December 2018: Ice Hot Nordic Dance Platform, Assistant for Springback Magazine.
August - November 2018: Producer for Everybody's Spectacular Reykjavík International Performance Art Festival.
March 2018: Producer for HÁSKAR multi-disciplinary arts festival, Iðnó, Reykjavík, www.haskar.org.
2018 - 2019: Production assistant Source Material Performance Art Collective, MONUMENT at Lunga Art Festival Iceland & HERE ArtsCenter New York.
November 2017: Producer for Dance For Me performance art collective, THE BROGAN DAVISON SHOW for Everybody's Spectacular Performance Art Festival.
May - October 2017: Project Manager for Cycle Music and Art Festival. Created and managed the 'We and Us' Workshop on national identity and art funded by the Nordic Culture Point + other project managing for the festival.
April 2017 - June 2018: Research and on-line documentation, the life of Ásgerður Jónsdóttir, feminist and activist.
February 2017: Intern as a director's assistant with Þorleifur Örn Arnarsson at Staatsoper Hannover, in the production of HAMLET.
September - November 2016: Director's assistant for Ragnheiður Skúladóttir, Reykjavík City Theatre, in the production of EXTRAVAGANZA.
Everybody's Spectacular, Lókal International Theatre Festival, Reykjavík Dance Festival. Assistant before and during festival years 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016
August - September 2016: Marketing Director for Dance For Me performance art collective in the production of STRIPP, Tjarnarbíó, and Everybody's Spectacular Performance Art Festival.
February - June 2015: Intern for Hotel Pro Forma in dramaturgy, Copenhagen, www.hotelproforma.dk
- Assistant Director of The Apartment by Julian Maynard Smith, Nikolaj Kunsthal, April 2015
- Kirsten Dehlholm's Director's Assistant for Troika by Rachmaninov - La Monnaie, Brussels, June 2015
June - August 2015: Director's assistant for performance art group Wunderland in the production of Phoenix for Metropolis Performance Art Festival, Copenhagen, www.wunderland.dk
July - August 2012: Melting Potes - A Month residency in Vaunieres, France during the creation of Melting Potes Art Festival.
Skapandi Sumarstörf - Three summers working as a young artist for Kópavogur Municipality - 2009, 2010 and 2016
Grants & Selections
June 2020: Recipient of Performance Studies Internationalisms Award from the department of Performance Studies at NYU Tisch, for those who contribute to performance studies beyond the local context of New York.
March 2020: Selected for EMERGENYC program of Hemispheric Institute of Performance & Politics, New york.
January 2019: Sálufélagar collective: Production grant and five-month artistic salary from Icelandic Performing Arts Fund for creation of full-scale production of Independent Party People.
January 2018: Production grant from the City of Reykjavík for work-in-progress edition of Independent Party People.
May 2017: Nordic Culture Point Art and Culture Programme Grand for workshop 'We and Us', Cycle Music and Art Festival 2017.
May 2016: Selection of production 'Suitable', Neu/Now festival September 2016.
Selected Publications
Letters from Reykjavík final project for MA Performance Studies - PS Online Symposium 10.06.2020
Hvað er eiginlega í gangi í Þjóðleikhúsinu? an critique that sparked a huge discourse in the theatre scene in September 2023
Fjallabak: Ofboðslega vel leikið en fast í fortíðinni April 8th 2025, critique on Brokeback Mountain in Reykjavík City Theatre
Laddi rís yfir form sýningarinnar March 14th 2025, critique on Þetta er Laddi in Reykjavík City Theatre
Stundin Newspaper Published 23.2.19
Að eigna sér baráttu annarra - Hatari í Eurovision
Coverage of the Venice Biennale for Morgunblaðið, May 2019.
SEEN Zine – a publication of young artists writing, poems and other works Published 11.7.18
Um væntingar og hugaróra
Sirkustjaldið Webmagazine about art and culture Published 5.1.15
Warehouse9 kynulsi og list í Kaupmannahöfn
Skemman A repository of academic and research documents www.skemman.is Published 6.23.16 Can we be them? Bachelor research on the performance FUGIT by Kamchátka
Reykvelin – webmagazine on performing arts Published 11.29.17
Hlustunarparty á Everybody ́s spectacular
Performance art ritic for newspaper Morgunblaðið 2018-2019
Poppópera í tómarúmi 4.17.18
Óljós heimur valda og karla 5.2.18
Að elska jörðina og eyðileggja hana 06.12.18
Mannakindur, mollið og blokkarpartí 06.13.18
Ímyndunaraflinu boðið í dans 09.20.18
Um tilgangi, kraft og ofbeldi 11.22.18
Danssýningar árssins 12.28.18
Konur sem taka pláss 29.01.19
Að syngja um ekki neitt 13.02.19
Hátíð ólíkra örverka 01.03.19
Blótað með listum 12.04.19