by Benkt Olén

Iceland, a small country with its distinct culture, continues to evoke thoughts and sentiments - responses skin to those expressed by Albert Engström in his 1931 travelogue, entitled, characteristically, ‘At Mr. Hekla’. After the visitor has taken in a wealth of picturesque landscapes, the Saga Island shines toward him with a special power that is strictly its own. The way I see it, that also goes for the graphics of Ragnheidur Jónsdóttir from Iceland, which will remain on display until November 13 on the enlarged premises of Samlargrafik, at Föreningsgatan 9. I belive that an art communicated message in the service of the so-called women’s cause has good chances of striking home when it is delivered by someone like this talented printmaker. She seeks to banish prejudiced myths about the female role, through dynamic interplay of fantasy and reality. On occasion, her satire borders on what seems agitatorial, yet without becoming militant. A stronger impact, however, comes from her ability to call forth sympathy and empathy. Admittedly, she may sometimes push literary allusions rather far, but she ultimately lays to rest all conceivable objections, thanks to her outpouring, even erupting, creative fervour - again callin to mind Iceland’s majestic and wild nature.

SST, October 28 1980, art column.