Solveig Hanusardóttir Olsen new director of the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands
Solveig will take up the position on July 1, 2024.
The board of the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands has appointed Solveig Hanusardóttir Olsen as the new director. Solveig holds a master’s degree in the history of religion with a minor in curation and cultural heritage from the University of Copenhagen. In addition, she has a master’s degree in art history - MA in History and Philosophy of Art - from the University of Kent. She also has a diploma in management from Glasir and a minor in Faroese from the University of the Faroe Islands.
Solveig says: "The coming years will be challenging and exciting for the museum, with extensive renovations, updates, and expansions, while at the same time ensuring that the museum's main task of promoting visual art is carried out. The National Gallery of the Faroe Islands has a traditional history, and with respect for this, the national art museum will be developed with captivating exhibitions, innovative projects, knowledge sharing, and events. The National Gallery of the Faroe Islands is a center for Faroese visual art, and with the new facilities, the museum will be able to offer the Faroese people and the art scene more diverse and contemporary conditions. I am eager to implement this together with the staff at the museum." She continues: "The changes in the coming years will bring many new activities, which those associated with the museum will develop as a team, as well as rethink the current offerings and exhibitions."
Solveig is not a new face at the National Gallery of the Faroe Islands. She has been associated with the museum on several occasions since 2014, including in the period 2016-2023 as museum curator, where she, among other things, communicated art through exhibitions, articles, lectures, and other means. She was responsible for the permanent exhibition, special exhibitions, and coordinated all the work. Additionally, she is a member of various committees, boards, and working groups, including representing the Faroe Islands in the Nordic Council's committee responsible for the Nordic Council's Children and Youth Literature Prize, from 2023 onwards.