Janine van Veen is an artist from the Netherlands who works with video and performance art. She was an artist-in-residence in September 2025.

“I went to Iceland with my own polka-dotted van (for those interested: inspired by Pippi Longstocking’s horse and the work of Yayoi Kusama). After one week of slow traveling, I arrived at the Fish Factory Creative Centre in Stöðvarfjörður. The Fish Factory became my home base.

I work with my body in dialogue with the landscape, so at the beginning of the residency I researched potential film locations. I received helpful tips about the surroundings and did location scouting both by van and on foot. Wanting to make the most of my time in Iceland, I created an extensive overview plan using all the collected input for my video ideas.

During the following weeks, I monitored the weather several times a day – rain, wind, sun, tides. I knew exactly which type of weather I needed for each video, with which camera, costume and location. When the moment was right, I went out to film; when it wasn’t, I returned and tried again another day. In between, I worked at the sewing machine or in the metal workshop.

Some casual moments:
I met three visiting volcanologists who told me about a unique magma mountain they were researching; it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. To get there, I walked for three hours with all my gear to launch a drone from a steep magma slope with rolling stones, where I lost my drone and later found it again. Because I wasn’t in the shot, I made this six-hour trip twice.
I sanded a large saw for hours until it produced sound, dragged my 30-meter-long red dress up a mountain, screamed at growling landscapes, and felt sick after tumbling on a black sand beach – ending up lying down while half naked young men did a photoshoot in front of my parked van.
I danced wildly with my fellow residents on several evenings, sang musical theatre songs at karaoke, shared meals, and exchanged inspiration, inner necessity and life experiences.

My time in Iceland was an adventure, and I loved every second of it.

My artistic research was partly about loneliness but what I found was connection, with my fellow artists and with the land(scape). Without the facilities and people at this residency, I would not have been able to create the seven videos I made. I am deeply grateful for this experience.”

https://www.janinevanveen.com/

https://www.instagram.com/janinevanveen

Geertje Brandenburg, is a Dutch artist who works with installation, collage, text, and craft.

In artworks built up from her extensive visual archive, Geertje questions the versatility of identity. As someone named after several people Geertje interweaves herself with others, presenting a version of the truth that fluctuates between myth and a half-remembered moment. Geertje’s work is rooted in collage and the archive, photos taken from their original
context are combined with text written by the artist herself. Through appropriating materials from the archive and combining them with personal stories Geertje creates a world in which
she is both her grandmother and an unknown woman in a photo. Her sister’s dreams become her own, and words written by a stranger become notes in her own diary.

This fluid approach to the autobiographical makes Geertje’s work feel like a dream that you are trying to remember, but can’t quite puzzle together.
I spent my time at the Fish Factory reframing my practice – coming from my own familiar studio environment, Stöðvarfjörður and Iceland were a major change – and I responded by walking, observing, searching and finding, then bringing those experiences and found objects back to the sewing machine.

Sewing as a practice/craft has always been one which I banned to the home, a space for myself to relax and make without the pressure of making art.
Being so isolated from my own home and studio it actually felt really nice to turn back to this craft in order to create my work.
The sounds of the tracing paper being cut, sewn, and built into the sculpture became a soundtrack to my time at the fish factory, merging with the waves crashing into the fjord and the wind carving a patch between the mountains.
I’ve been researching the merging of medical and religious rituals, how many religious rituals come from a medical understanding, and how many medical rituals we still use today are actually done in reassurance, not medical necessity. In Iceland I searched for local herbal remedies and religious myths, where do they meet, and where do they diverge?

These findings all come together into this paper gate I spent my month sewing, an architectural element which is made to sever, but shows both sides of the coin at once.

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/geertje.brandenburg/
website
https://geertjebrandenburg.com/

The portrait image was taken by Marcelle Bradbeer; https://www.instagram.com/marcelle_bradbeer/

Irene Hoppenberg is a sculptor from Berlin, Germany. She received her Master at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. Her works were presented in multiple exhibitions in Europe, USA, South-Korea, Taiwan and Australia.

I experimented with kites made of paper and bamboo during my stay at the Fish Factory, which offered me an ideal environment to work on my project. The kites form a colourful contrast in the Icelandic landscape. Their shapes and patterns refer to the style of the German Bauhaus.

I loved to stay in the green studio with its stunning view to the Fjord and the Mountains. It was inspiring even with rain, clouds, and fog. From there we could even once watch the whales from very close, it was so exciting.

Thanks to all the artists who performed the kites with me and to all the photographers who took the pictures. It was wonderful to share this moment with you and it was very much fun.

Very big thanks to Kris and Vinny who gave us so much support all the time, it was more than I expected. I would have loved to stay another month and have more time to develop my project and to explore more of the environment.

Website: http://www.irenehoppenberg.de

OPEN CALL >> January – May 2017 <<
We’re sending out an OPEN CALL for all artists out there in the worldwide!
We’re OPEN for your applications for January – May period of Residency program!

About Fish Factory – Creative Centre
The Creative Centre is located in Stöðvarfjörður, a remote village in the East fjords of Iceland. It was established in 2011 when a group of people acquired the abandoned Fish Factory of the village. The group funded a non-profit cooperation which owns the building and manages the daily operations and business of the Centre. The Centre is an independent initiative and has no financial ties to the local municipality or the Icelandic state. All team members are volunteers still today.

The Creative Centre is an ongoing collaborative and community project and our actions and aims are based on sustainable principles and alternative methods. We want to regenerate and sustain our small village by making it into a possible and desirable place to settle – a place where you can have engaging jobs, enjoy culture, and the influx of new ideas and creative people. The Centre is meant to be a platform offering many different workshops and facilities where small initiatives can thrive and jobs can be created. We run an all year around Art Residency for most creative fields and we frequently host cultural events and concerts. Currently we are starting up workshops and study courses at the Centre. We also host a small fish processing company, the local fish market, and the Red Cross charity shop of the village.

With the Creative Centre we want to demonstrate the possibility of strengthening small, remote communities with creative initiatives, establishing jobs, and to be a source of inspiration for others alike. We believe that many small pillars and culture are a strong way to ensure the livelihood of a society and are just as valid as big industrial solution.

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Residency Description
The Residency is multi-disciplinary and open for most creative directions:
Visual Art, New Media, Printmaking, Sculpture, Dance, Performing Arts, Land Art, Textile Art, Music, Literature, Crafts, Sustainable Design, Engineering & Photography.

The purpose of the program is to provide emerging and established artists, creatives, designers and progressive thinkers a port for free expression. We offer access to a range of studios and work facilities, and a place to meet with other creative people in a small collaborative community. The Centre has fully equipped wood & metal workshops, kitchen, small library, sewing workshop and a Concert hall. All of which the artists have access to along with our material storage in consultation with a team member.

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Accommodation
Our Residency Artists stay together in a big house called Bjarkarlundur. The house is located in the heart of our small village and in about 3 min walking distance from the Centre. The house has a garden, spacious bedrooms, large kitchen, a bathroom with bathtub, a washroom and internet access. Bed linen is provided. Each artist has their own private bedroom and shares the kitchen and bathroom with the other artists.

Artists can invite their partner or a guest for a short stay upon prior arrangement with a team member. The maximum stay is five nights. From time to time Volunteers, Interns and Musicians stay at the house as well.

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Duration of residency
The duration of residencies is between 1 and 6 months. If the Artist wants to lead a workshop, exhibit his/her works, hold a concert/perform or read poetry, we are up for most things.

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Residency Fee

Prices:
Shared Studio space  600 Eur/Month
Private Studio              700 Eur/Month

Included:
Access to all the Workshops & Facilities in the Centre along with our paint & material storage in consultation with a team member. You will also be provided with an Accommodation, a private bedroom in the Artists house.On arrival we provide a pick up from Egilsstaðir Airport. Other expenses for transport and meals are the responsibility of each participant.

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Application information
To be considered for the Residency, send us a filled out Application Form + CV + 5-10 recent work samples (up to 10MB) to contact[at]inhere[dot]is

Your application will be reviewed and answered within a week via email.

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Languages
We speak Icelandic, English and German.